Fourth  O.UJ. 


•DIED  IN  SERVICE 
"TO  LIVE  IN  HEARTS  WE  LEAVE 
BEHIND  IS  NOT  TO  DIE-" 

PATRICK  AHERN   Df-RANDOLPH 
GE-LAWSON        J-H-COl/TS 


D-ltDODGE 
S-L-HILL 
LH-M1TCHELL 
W-W-REED 
I  Wf- FERRIS 
I-E51MM5 
J-W-DENT 
W-OWINTER 
GffEPRIN 


W-C-DUNLAP 

M-M-MOR6AN 

CARL  KREl/Z 

J-W-WALKER 

E-LPATTER50M 

KUERT5PARKA 

H-M-MORRI50N 


Al-VERTNER 
J-L5NYDER 
W-P-MARKE50N   E-CBRI(j65 
G-H-5hUSTER 


The   Fourteenth   Ohio 

National    Guard, 

Trie    Fourth    Ohio 
Volunteer    Infantry, 


COMPLETE   RECORD  OF  THIS  ORGANIZATION   FROM 
ITS   FOUNDATION   TO  THE   PRESENT  DAY. 


BY 

Sergt.  Maj.  Chas.  E,  Creager. 


WITH    FULL    ACCOUNT    OF    STRIKE,    RIOT,    AND    COMPLI 
MENTARY   DUTY,  AND  THE  CAMPAIGN  IN   THB 

Spanish-American  War. 


A    COMPLETE    ROSTER    OF    MEMBERS    AT    THE    TIMS    OiF 
MUSTER  OUT  OF  THE   UNITED  STATES  SERVIOS. 


JNTKOIJUCTlOSrS    BY 

THE   PRESIDENT  OR  THE  U.  S. 

AND 

GOVERNOR  OR  OHIO. 


PRESS   OF 

THE    LANDON    PRINTING  &   PUBLISHING   CO.. 

COLUMBUS,   OHIO. 

1899. 

ILLUSTRATIONS    BY   BUCHER   ENQRAVING   CO. 


0 


COPYRIGHT  1899 
WALTER    F.    CLOWES. 


EXECUTIVE  MANSION, 

WASHINGTON. 

It  is  a.  pleasure  to  make  this  acknowledgment  of 
my  appreciation  of  the  services  rendered  by  the  Fourth 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry >  in  'Porto  ^co  and  elsewhere, 
during  the  recent  War. 

The   officers   and  men   of  this    regiment    ha*be 
maintained  the  splendid  reputation  as  set  forth  in  the 
following  record  of  the  citizen-soldiery  of  Ohio. 
Very  sincerely, 


STATE  OF  OHIO, 

EXECUTIVE    DEPARTMENT. 

OFFICE  OF   THE  GOVERNOR. 

The  record  of  the  Fourteenth  0.  N.  G.  — Fourth 
0.  V.  I.  is  a.  most  admirable  one,  and  these  organi 
zations  are  happily  deserving  the  perpetuation  the  fol 
lowing  pages  ha<ve  given.  From  the  time  of  its  or 
ganization  to  the  day  of  its  departure  for  the  front, 
the  Fourteenth  Infantry  most  loyally  and  ably  sup 
ported  the  State  Executive,  *h>ith  their  influence  in  peace 
or  their  valor  when  their  active  services  'were  required. 
And  again,  when  called  into  the  service  of  the  Na 
tional  Government,  the  organization  proved  itself  a 
most  trustworthy  representative  of  the  State. 

My  best  wish  for  the  regiment  would  be  that 
its  future  may  be  as  bright  and  honorable  as  its  past. 


Governor  of  Ohio. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


EARLY  HISTORY. 

Citizen  Soldiery  of  Ohio— Ohio  in  War— Settlement  at  Mari 
etta — Early  Military  Laws — Organization  and  Regula 
tions — Reorganization  of  1821 — Military  Convention — 
Camp  at  Columbus — Military  in  Ohio  in  the  Fifties — The 
Civil  War — Fear  of  Invasion — The  Ohio  National 
Guard— The  O.  N.  G.  in  the  Civil  War— Quick  Muster 
and  Equipment — The  Fourth  O.  V.  I. — Ohio  National 
Guard  Disbanded  —  Reorganization  of  1876  —  Labor 
Troubles — Unsettled  Condition  of  the  Country. 

CHAPTEE  II. 


THE  FOURTEENTH  INFANTRY. 

Formation  of  Regiments — Meeting  at  State  House — Captain 
Ammel's  Work — Companies  Formed — Adjutant  Groven- 
er's  Order — The  Regiment  Organized — First  Duty  in 
Columbus — Chaplain  Moore  Elected — Trouble  in  Perry 
County — The  Gatling  Gun — Garfield  Funeral  at  Cleve 
land — Colonel  Freeman  Re-elected — A  Busy  Year — Jus 
tice  at  Cincinnati— The  Cincinnati  Riots— Colonel  Free 
man's  Report — Killed  and  Wounded. 

CHAPTEE  III. 


AN  EPOCH  OF  EXCURSIONS. 

Trouble  in  Hocking  County — Companies  K  and  B  on  Duty — 
Camp  at  Detroit— The  Field  of  Gettysburg— Colonel 
Freeman's  Proposition — Corporal  Grisso  Killed — The 
Fourteenth  at  Philadelphia — Inconveniences  Suffered  by 
Ohio's  Soldiers — Columbus  Armory  Burned — Hospital 


CONTENTS. 

Corps  Organized — State  Encampment  at  Columbus — 
Ohio's  Centennial — The  Fourteenth  in  New  York — An 
nual  Encampments. 

CHAPTER  IV. 


STRIKES  AND  RIOTS. 

Resignation  of  Colonel  Freeman — Election  of  Colonel  Coit — 
General  Sherman's  Funeral  at  St.  Louis — Duty  at  Chi 
cago — Howe  on  1894 — The  Wheeling  Creek  Campaign — 
Causes  for  the  Strike — Troops  Called  Out — Services  of 
the  Fourteenth — The  Result — Galvin's  Army — Trouble 
at  Washington  C.  H.— Colonel  Charged  With  Murder- 
Annual  Encampments. 

CHAPTER  V. 


WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

Period  of  Peace — Condition  of  Army  and  Navy — American 
Peace  Policy — Relations  Between  England  and  Spain — 
Cessions  of  land  from  Spain  to  United  States — Cuban 
Insurrection — The  "Ten  Years'  War" — Second  Rebel 
lion — Daily  Press  Reports — Cuban  and  Spanish  Lead 
ers — Weyler's  "Reconcentrado"  Plan — General  Lee's 
Report— The  De  Lome  Affair— Destruction  of  the 
Maine — The  Country  Aroused — Cry  for  War — Prepara 
tions  for  War — President's  Proclamation — Declaration 
of  War — Dewey's  Victory — Ohio's  Volunteers — Militia 
Assembled — The  Fourteenth  at  the  Auditorium — Camp 
Bushnell. 

CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  FOURTEENTH-FOURTH. 

The  March  to  Camp  Bushnell — Camp  Life — Changes  in 
Company  Organisation — Drills  and  Parades — Growth  of 
the  Camp — Change  of  Name — Signal  Corps  Dropped — 
The  Regimental  Band — Bad  Weather — Rumors — Order 
to  Leave — Partirg  Sceres — Camp  Bushnell  Left  Be 
hind — The  March  to  the  Depot — Scenes  Along1  the 
March— At  the  Depot— Columbus  Left  Behind— Arrival 
at  Chattancoca. 


9ONT9NT8. 

CHAPTER  VII. 


CAMP  GEORGE  II.  THOMAS. 

The  Ride  to  Chickamauga  Park— From  Lytle  to  the  Camp- 
Early  Experiences — The  Regiment  Assigned — Hard 
Tack  and  Bacon — A  Military  Training  School — Facts 
About  Lytle — Regimental  "Canteens" — Amusement — 
Facts  About  the  Camp — Some  of  Its  Advantages — Vis 
itors  from  Home  and  from  Abroad — Evening  Parades — 
Cakes,  Pies  and  Sweetmeats — Religious  Services — Re- 
connoitering  Expeditions — A  Sham  Battle — Setting  up 
and  Breaking  Camps — Sink  Details — Rumors  and  Or 
ders — Good  Nev/s  at  Last. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TO  NEWPORT  NEWS,  VIRGINIA. 

The  March  to  Rossville — To  Chattanooga — Delays — The 
Trip  Through  Kentucky — Receptions  Along  the  Line — 
Up  the  Alleghenies — Peep  at  Piedmont  Valley — "On  to 
Richmond" — At  Newport  News — A  "Pup  Tent"  Camp — 
Reception — Dynamite  Guns — Company  F  Becomes  a 
Battery — Changes  of  Officers — Delays  and  More  Ru 
mors — Transport  "St.  Paul" — Transferring  Baggage-- 
Waiting  Orders— Off  to  Sea. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


OFF  TO  PORTO  RICO. 

Sail  on  Friday— The  Trip  Through  the  Harbor— The  St. 
Paul — "Travel  Rations" — "Prime  Roast  Beef" — Hard 
Tack  and  Coffee — Boston  Baked  Beans — Tomatoes — One 
Dollar  Pies — Sea  Sickness — Religious  Services  at  Sea — 
Fine  Weather  Voyage— Warlike  Preparations— At  the 
Harbor  of  Ponce — Cruise  to  Arroyo — Kragg  Jorgensen 
Rifles— End  of  the  Voyage— The  Landing. 


CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER  X. 

THE  FOURTH  UNDER  FIRE. 

Arroyo — The  People  and  Climate — Fir&t  Day  in  Camp — 
Native  Cigarettes — A  Practice  March — Orders  from 
General  Haines — Fresh  Beef  Issue — Accident  to  Colonel 
Coit — Major  Speaks  Takes  Advance— Military  Terms 
Explained — A  Frenchman's  Information — A  Funeral 
"Procession"— The  House  "To  the  left"— Sergeant  Rad- 
cliffe's  Ride — Under  Fire — Spanish  Bullets  and  Spanish 
Marksmanship — Effect  of  Spanish  Fire — Effect  of 
American  Fire — Line  of  Battle  Formed — Unjust  Re 
ports — Spaniards  Retreat— Capture  of  Guayama — Th& 
Flag  Raising — The  Spaniards  Rally — Dynamite  Guns  in 
Action — First  Night  in  Guayama. 

CHAPTER  XL 


THE  ROAD  TO  CAYEY. 

"Battle"  of  Guayama — Comments  on  the  Capture — Effect  of 
This  Duty  Upon  the  Regiment — General  Haines  and  the 
Fourth  Ohio — Restlessness  in  the  City — Reconnoiter  of 
the  Road — Spanish  Camp  Located — Orders  for  Second 
Reconnoiter — A  False  Alarm — A  Break  for  Guayama — 
Stories  of  Ambush — Their  Effect — Excitement  at  Head 
quarters — Regiment  Made  a  Rescuing  Party — American 
versus  Spaniard — Dynamite  Guns  in  Action — A  Make- 
Shift  Caisson— Barrio  De  Las  Palmas— Other  Expe 
ditions. 

CHAPTER  XII. 


ONE  WEEK  OF  REST. 

The  Fourth  Appreciated  by  People  at  Guayama — A  General 
Cleaning  Up — Beautiful  Scenery — Early  Impression  of 
Porto  Rico — Commissary  Condition — Fresh  Meat  at  the 
Outposts — The  Water  Supply — Horses  and  Reinforce 
ments  Arrive — Hospital  Established — Rumors  Again — 
Preparations  for  Advance — Final  Orders  Issued — Death 
of  Sam  Hill. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

BEGINNING  OF  THE  END. 

Imposing  Scenes— Breakfast  in  the  Rain— Expedition  As 
signed  to  Fourth  Ohio— March  Begun— Guide  "Backs 
Out"— Plan  of  Operations— A  Rocky  Road— A  Hot 
Day — Danger  in  Straggling — Lunch  and  a  Short  Rest — 
End  of  the  March— Hostilities  Suspended— Retraced 
Steps— Friday  and  the  Thirteenth— Intense  Suffering- 
Temporary  Camp — Hospital  Call — Permanent  Camp. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 


IN  CAMP  AT  GUAYAMA. 

Miserable  Location — Causes  of  Dissatisfaction — Health  of 
the  Men — Desire  to  Return  Home — Sickness — Condition 
at  Hospital — Changes  in  Commanders — Market — Finan 
cial  Condition  of  Men— The  Paymaster— Better  Times- 
Visit  of  Mr.  Klotts— Orders  to  Move— Brigade  Dis 
banded. 

CHAPTER  XV. 


FROM  GUAYAMA  TO  SAN  JUAN. 

Regiment  Leaves  Guayama  Camp — "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind 
Me" — Marching  Through  Rain — Road  to  Cayey — A 
Terrible  March — Arrived  at  Cayey — Further  Detach 
ments — Flag  Raising — March  to  Caguas — Duty  There — 
Flags  Raised — March  to  Rio  Piedros — Arrival  at  San 
Juan. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  HOSPITAL  CORPS. 

The  Corps  in  the  Fourteenth — Its  Organization  and  Effi 
ciency — Its  Effect  on  Enlistment — Refused  Admittance 
as  a  Body  Into  the  U.  S.  Service — Members  Enlist  in 
Companies — Details  at  Camp  Thomas — Reserve  Ambu- 


CONTENTS. 

lance  Corps — Detachments  From  the  Regiment — Orders 
for  Porto  Rico — Reunited  on  Massachusetts — Again 
Separated  in  Porto  Rico — Sent  to  San  Juan — Home 
With  the  Regiment — Stragglers  Arrive. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ARMY  OF  OCCUPATION. 

What  General  Brooke  Said  of  the  Fourth  Ohio— D  Company 
to  Humacao — A  Forty  Miles'  March — M  Company  by 
Sea  to  Vieques — Duty  at  Fajardo — Trouble  at  Carolina — 
Beautiful  Country  at  Aibonito — An  Officer  Assaulted 
at  Cayey — B  Company  at  Rio  Piedras — Record  of 
Events  in  the  Companies  Which  Americanized  the 
Eastern  Third  of  Porto  Rico. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


HOME  AGAIN. 

Orders  to  Leave — Preparation — Arrival  of  Forty-seventh 
New  York— U.  S.  S.  S.  Chester  at  Arroyo— At  San 
Juan — Leaving  the  Island — Advantages  and  Disad 
vantages  of  the  Chester — The  Homeward  Voyage — 
Death  of  Private  Vertner— Arrival  at  New  York- 
Jersey  City — Received  by  the  President — To  Colum 
bus  —  Reception  —  Furlough — Assembly — Accident  at 
Auditorium — Muster  Out — Concluding  Remarks. 


The  Fourteenth  O.  N.  G.-  -The 
Fourth  O.  V.   I. 


CHAPTEK  I. 


EARLY  HISTORY. 

Citizen  Soldiery  of  Ohio— Ohio  in  War— Settlement  at  Mari 
etta — Early  Military  Laws — Organization  and  Regula 
tions—Reorganization  of  1821— Military  Convention- 
Camp  at  Columbus— Military  in  Ohio  in  the  Fifties— The 
Civil  War— Fear  of  Invasion— The  Ohio  National 
Guard — The  O.  N.  G.  in  the  Civil  War — Quick  Muster 
and  Equipment— The  Fourth  O.  V.  I.— Ohio  National 
Guard  Disbanded  —  Reorganization  of  1876  —  Labor 
Troubles— Unsettled  Condition  of  the  Country. 

The  military  spirit  of  the  citizens  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  the  valor  of  the  soldiery  made  up  of  the  sons 
of  the  Buckeye  state  both  at  home  and  abroad,  have 
excited  favorable  comment  from  those  who  have 
watched  the  achievements  of  Ohioans  in  every  other 
state  in  the  Union.  From  the  fierce  struggle  for  su 
premacy  with  the  Indians  in  the  Ohio  valley  while  the 
territory  now  occupied  by  the  state  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  to  the  present  time,  the  people  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  picturesque  Ohio  have  been  noted  for 
their  integrity  as  citizens  and  their  bravery  as  soldiers. 

When  the  colonial  government  in  the  early  days 
of  our  history  needed  assistance  in  the  battles  with 
the  French  and  Indians,  companies  of  hardy  settlers 


14  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

shouldered  their  flint-locks,  hastened  to  the  scene  of 
hostilities  and  upon  them  was  always  thrown  the  brunt 
of  the  battle.  When  the  struggle  for  American  in 
dependence  was  begun,  even  though  the  safety  of  their 
own  homes  was  in  peril,  the  American  forces  were 
strengthened  by  the  brave  Ohio  Valley  volunteers. 
They  were  trained  riflemen,  invincible  as  the  rocks 
over  which  rolled  the  mighty  river  which  separated 
them  from  the  east,  and  they  were  born  soldiers. 
They  were  accustomed,  to  all  the  hardships  attending 
the  life  of  a  soldier,  and  ever  ready  to  respond  to  a 
cause  which  needed  their  support;  they  have  in  every 
struggle  in  which  the  country  has  been  involved,  done 
their  duty  and  done  it  well. 

There  has  never  been  a  war  in  the  history  of  the 
nation  wherein  the  Ohio  valley  did  not  furnish  her 
full  share  of  soldiers.  On  the  great  roll  of  honor  of 
the  nation,  the  names  of  Ohio's  sons  appear  as  the 
greatest  leaders,  the  firmest  supporters  of  the  general 
government  and  the  freest  to  make  any  sacrifice  re 
quired  to  hasten  a  desired  end. 

In  the  piping  times  of  peace,  her  fertile  valleys 
have  yielded  immense  quantities  of  provisions  for  her 
own  citizens  as  well  as  for  those  who  were  less  fortu 
nately  situated,  and  by  the  good  management  and 
frugal  habits  of  her  citizens  she  has  become  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  states  in  the  Union. 

The  first  permanent  white  settlement  made  with 
in  the  present  limits  of  the  state  was  made  at  Marietta 
in  the  year  1788,  and  in  that  year  provisions 
were  made  by  the  territorial  judges  afor  the  best  pro- 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  15 

tection  of  the  territory."  All  male  citizens  between 
the  ages  of  sixteen  and  fifty  were  compelled  to  perform 
military  duty.  The  first  general  assembly  under  the 
Constitution  of  Ohio  did  not  meet  until  March  1, 1803, 
and  in  the  following  December  the  first  state  military 
law  was  passed.  This  law  provided  that  all  free 
white  male  citizens,  with  a  few  defined  exceptions, 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five,  and  all 
emigrants  within  the  age>  limit,  and  within  twenty 
days  after  residence,  were  compelled  to  perform  mili 
tary  duty. 

Each  enrolled  militiaman  was  required  to  provide 
himself  at  his  own  expense  with  a  good  musket  or 
fusee,  a  sufficient  bayonet  and  belt,  a  knapsack  and 
two  spare  flints,  a  pouch  with  a  box  therein  to  con 
tain  not  less  than  twenty-four  cartridges,  "suited  to 
the  bore  of  his  musket  or  fusee,"  or  a  good  rifle  with 
powder;  each  officer  to  be  armed  with  a  sword  or 
hanger  and  spontoon. 

The  militia  of  the  state  was  organized  into  di 
visions,  brigades,  regiments,  battalions  and  companies, 
with  the  following  officers:  To  each  division  a  major 
general,  to  each  brigade  a  brigadier  general,  to  each, 
regiment  a  lieutenant  colonel  commandant,  to  each 
battalion  a  major,  to  each  company  a  captain,  a  lieu 
tenant,  an  ensign,  four  sergeants,  four  corporals,  one 
drummer  and  one  fifer. 

Major  generals  were  to  be  held  accountable  that 
companies  beorganized  prorata  in  the  towns  within  the 
districts  comprised  in  the  brigade.  All  officers,  ex 
cept  major  generals,  were  elected.  To  each  brigade 


16  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

was  to  be  attached  a  company  of  artillery  and  a  troop  of 
horse,  when,  in  the  opinion  of  the  brigadier  general, 
the  companies,  or  either  of  them,  could  be  raised  and 
equipped  within  his  brigade. 

The  tactics  adopted  were  "Baron  Steuben's  In 
structions"  and  the  Articles  of  War  numbered  26. 

These  laws  were  changed  very  little  until  1821r 
when  the  strength  of  Ohio's  military  power  was 
85,000.  A  reorganization  was  then  effected,  but  the 
general  plan  remained  unchanged.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  the  military  spirit  of  central  Ohio  began  to 
assert  itself  and  that  section  of  the  state  has  ever 
since  led  all  the  military  movements  of  the  day. 

From  that  time  on  the  military  laws  of  the  state 
were  changed  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  circumstances 
as  they  arose,  it  was  supposed,  but  to  the  present  idea, 
the  changes  were  oftentimes  decidedly  for  the  worse. 
On  February  2,  1854,  there  was  a  great  military  con 
vention  in  Columbus,  assembled  for  the  purpose  of 
arranging  from  the  entanglement  of  laws  which  the 
early  legislatures  had  managed  to  impose,  a  military 
code  which  could  be  at  least  understood  by  the  com 
manding  officers  and  to  place  the  military  of  the  state 
on  a  firmer  footing. 

This  convention  was  held  in  Neil's  New  Hall, 
afterwards  the  famous  Neil  House,  of  Columbus,  for 
many  years  the  political  Mecca  of  the  state.  One  of 
the  leading  figures  in  that  convention,  was  Captain 
Stedman,  afterwards  colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  regi 
ment  in  the  Civil  war  and  who  since  became  "General" 
Stodman.  It  seems  that  this  convention  was  by  no 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  17 

means  barren  of  results,  for,  a  year  later,  there  began 
a  revival  of  the  military  spirit  of  the  state,  and  or 
ganizations  of  a  military  nature  sprang  up  in  all  of  the 
leading  counties.  On  July  4,  1855,  a  few  months 
more  than  a  year  after  the  great  military  convention, 
the  State  Fencibles,  which  afterwards  became  one  of 
the  best  known  military  bodies  of  the  state,  was  or 
ganized,  and  in  1857  the  Columbus  Vedettes  was 
organized. 

The  spirit  seems  to  have  taken  firm  root,  for  in 
the  year  1858,  at  a  camp  near  Columbus,  where  the 
Hawk  hospital  now  stands,  the  following  organiza 
tions  turned  out  for  muster:  State  Fencibles,  Co 
lumbus  Vedettes,  Steuben  Guards,  Montgomery 
Guards  and  Captain  I  jam's  Battery  of  Artillery. 

Miltary  companies  continued  to  organize,  and 
then  came  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  country 
known  as  the  Civil  war.  The  two  sections  of  the  na 
tion  were  marshalled  against  each  other  and  every 
resource  of  either  division  was  tried  to  its  utmost  in 
the  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union  on  the 
one  side  and  for  its  destruction  on  the  other.  It  was 
here  that  the  value  of  the  training  which  the  various 
military  companies  had  been  able  to  impart,  began 
to  show.  Volunteers  flocked  to  the  recruiting  sta 
tions  in  response  to  the  call  by  the  president,  and 
thousands  of  Ohio  boys  put  on  the  blue  and  went  to 
the  defense  of  the  starry  banner,  led  to  victory  by 
officers  who  had  learned  something  of  the  art  of  war  in 
the  organizations  which  the  scoffer  had  before  pro 
nounced  fit  for  ornament  and  parade  rather  than  for 
usefulness. 


TEE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

The  Ohio  National  Guard,  as  such,  was  never 
heard  of  until  in  1863,  the  legislature  of  that  winter, 
in  its  effort  to  assist  the  national  government  in  the 
mighty  struggle  then  waging,  having  passed  a  law 
repealing  the  unintelligent  mass  of  rules  and  regula 
tions  governing  the  state  military  and  establishing  an 
entirely  new  insitution.  The  idea,  then  a  new  one, 
was  favorably  received  all  over  the  state,  and  as  the 
fear  that  the  state  would  be  invaded  by  Southern 
raiders  became  more  general,  the  National  Guard 
was  soon  recruited  to  a  strength  which  could  have  de 
fended  the  state  against  a  larger  army  than  it  was 
possible  for  Confederate  leaders  at  that  time  to 
command. 

.  Still  the  true  worth  of  the  organization  was  not 
known  until  the  following  year,  1864,  when  on  April 
25  governor  B  rough,  without  the  ceremony  of  calling 
for  volunteers,  offering  bounties  or  leaves  of  absence 
from  the  National  Guard  service,  or  providing  for 
any  other  delay,  ordered  the  entire  National  Guard 
of  Ohio  to  assemble  at  their  respective  armories  for 
the  purpose  of  being  mustered  into  the  volunteer  ser 
vice  of  the  United  States.  There  was  no  choice  left 
to  the  officers  or  members,  so  the  order  was  promptly 
obeyed,  and  on  Monday,  May  2,  the  entire  military 
strength  of  the  state  was  assembled,  ready  for  muster. 
On  the  following  Thursday,  eleven  days  after  the  first 
order  had  been  promulgated,  Captain  Inriis  was  on  his 
way  to  Virginia  with  a  large  body  of  troops  from  Ohio, 
mustered  and  fully  equipped  for  immediate  service. 

Central  Ohio  had  already  sent  out  the  gallant 
Fourth  Ohio,  but  seven  days  after  the  original  call 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  19 

from  Governor  Brough,  Franklin  county  alone  had 
contributed  the  133rd  Regiment  of  Volunteer  In 
fantry,  and  a  better  regiment  never  did  service. 

The  state  troops  were  all  ordered  to  Columbus  in 
very  disagreeable  weather  and  all  the  work  of  ex 
amination  and  muster  had  to  be  performed  under  the 
most  trying  circumstances,  but  in  just  sixteen  days 
Governor  Brough  telegraphed  the  adjutant  general 
of  the  army  that  he  had  in  the  field  at  Baltimore, 
Cumberland,  Washington,  Parkersburg,  Harper's 
Ferry  and  other  places,  forty  full  regiments  and  one 
battalion  of  seven  companies  of  infantry.  This  was 
a  mighty  army  in  itself,  and  it  had  been  formed  ex 
clusively  from  the  Ohio  National  Guard. 

Valuable  as  had  been  the  National  Guard  dur 
ing  the  war,  the  close  of  that  struggle  brought  with 
it  the  close  of  the  existence  of  the  0.  N.  G.  The 
legislature  in  1865,  anticipating  a  permanent  cessa 
tion  of  hostilities  of  all  kinds,  had  ordered  the  militia 
disbanded,  and  as  the  people  themselves  had  had 
enough  of  war  and  of  matters  pertaining  to  the  mili 
tary  in  general,  the  action  of  the  legislature  was  gen 
erally  approved. 

The  cloud  of  Civil  war  was  followed  by  a  dozen 
years  of  peace  and  quiet,  undisturbed  until  the  year 
1876,  when  the  nation  was  in  the  midst  of  the  cele 
bration  of  her  one  hundredth  birthday  anniversary  at 
Philadelphia.  Serious  trouble  had  arisen  with  the 
Indians  in  the  West  and  the  attention  of  almost  the 
entire  regular  army  was  attracted  for  a  time  to  the 
Indian  reservations.  Following  the  Centennial  cele- 


20  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     C. 

bration,  the  country  passed  through  one  of  the  most 
serious  labor  disturbances  of  its  history.  Of  these 
troubles  Dr.  John  Clarke  Ridpath,  the  historian,  has 
the  following  to  say : 

k¥In  the  summer  of  1877  occurred  the  great  labor 
disturbance  known  as  the  'Railroad  Strike.'  For 
several  years  the  mining  districts  of  the  country  had 
been  vexed  with  disputes  and  outbreaks,  having  their 
origin  in  the  question  of  wages.  The  manufacturing 
towns  and  cities  had  witnessed  similar  troubles  and  the 
great  corporations  having  control  of  the  lines  of  travel 
and  commerce  were  frequently  brought  to  a  standstill 
by  the  determined  opposition  of  their  employes.  The 
workingmen  and  the  capitalists  of  the  country  had  for 
some  time  maintained  towards  each  other  a  kind  of 
armed  neutrality,  alike  hurtful  to  the  interests  of  both. 
In  the  spring  of  this  year  the  managers  of  the  great 
railways  leading  from  the  seaboard  to  the  West,  de 
clared  a  reduction  of  ten  per  cent,  in  the  wages  of  their 
workmen.  This  measure,  which  was  to  take  effect  at 
the  middle  of  July,  was  violently  resisted  by  the  em 
ployes  of  the  companies  and  the  most  active  steps  taken 
to  prevent  its  success.  The  workmen  of  the  various 
roads  entered  into  combinations  and  the  officers  stood 
•firm.  On  the  16th  of  July  the  employes  of  the  Balti 
more  and  Ohio  railroad  left  their  posts  and  gathered 
such  strength  in  Baltimore  and  at  Martinsburg,  W. 
Va.,  as  to  prevent  the  running  of  trains  and  set  the 
authorities  at  defiance.  *  *  *  * 

"In  less  than  a  week  the  trains  had  been  stopped 
on  all  the  important  roads  between  the  Hudson  and 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     (/.  1>1 

the  Mississippi.  Except  in  the  cotton-growing  states 
the  insurrection  was  universal.  Travel  ceased, 
freights  perished  enroute,  business  was  paralyzed.  In 
Pittsburg  the  strikers,  rioters  and  dangerous  classes, 
gathering  in  a  mob  to  the  number  of  twenty  thousand, 
obtained  complete  control  of  the  city  and  for  two  days 
held  a  reign  of  terror  unparalelled  in  the  history  of 
the  country.  The  lawless  violence  and  madness  of  the 
scene  recalled  the  firey  days  of  the  French  Revolu 
tion.  *  *  *  * 

"The  insurrection  was  finally  suppressed  by  the 
regular  troops  and  the  militia  of  Pennsylvania,  but  not 
until  nearly  a  hundred  lives  had  been  lost  and  prop 
erty  destroyed  to  the  value  of  more  than  three  million 
dollars." 

Similar,  but  perhaps  less  terrible  riots  occurred 
about  the  same  time  in  Chicago,  St.  Louis  and  San 
Francisco,  and  for  a  time  all  the  great  cities  of  th© 
country  were  in  immient  danger.  Cincinnati,  Co 
lumbus  and  Cleveland  did  not  entirely  escape,  but  the 
loss  to  either  life  or  property  was  slight  as  compared 
to  that  at  Pittsburg.  The  labor  troubles  subsided 
within  a  month,  but  at  the  close  of  that  difficulty  the 
Indians  again  became  troublesome  and  the  attention  of 
the  military  was  again  attracted  to  the  West. 

The  young  men  of  Ohio  fully  appreciated  the 
seriousness  of  the  general  situation,  and  the  question 
began  to  be  asked,  "What  if  Ohio  were  confronted 
with  such  problems  of  her  own?"  The  necessity  of 
a  reorganization  of  the  National  Guard  was  at  once 
apparent  to  that  class  of  young  men  which  would 


22  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     A.     G. 

naturally  become  the  rank  and  file  of  the  organization, 
and  to  the  legislature.  The  result  was  that  the  gen 
eral  assembly  of  the  state  authorized  the  re-establish 
ment  of  the  state  militia,  and  they  also  provided  for  the 
organization  into  regiments.  The  work  was  soon 
placed  in  the  hands  of  competent  officers  and  soon 
after  the  passage  of  the  law  the  Ohio  National  Guard 
was  again  standing  on  a  firm  footing. 

It  was  the  possibility  of  a  something  not  expected 
yet  a  something  feared,  however,  that  gave  to  the 
people  of  Columbus  and  surrounding  towns  a  feeling 
of  unrest.  Labor  agitators  were  at  work  all  over  the 
country  doing  their  best  to  renew  the  troubles  of  '76 
and  ?77,  and  as  the  manufacturing  interests  and  other 
enterprises  calling  for  the  employment  of  many  men 
were  rapidly  growing,  it  was  thought  the  wiser  plan  to 
provide  for  a  possible  emergency. 

There  were  companies  of  infantry  thoroughly 
organized  and  well  drilled,  and  one  by  one  these  com 
panies  were  united  into  regiments,  and  with  little 
trouble  the  military  strength  of  the  state  was  again 
available  for  duty. 


GEORGE    D.    FREEMAN. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  23 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  FOURTEENTH  INFANTRY. 

Formation  of  Regiments — Meeting  at  State  House — Captain 
Ammel's  Work — Companies  Formed — Adjutant  Groven- 
er's  Order — The  Regiment  Organized — First  Duty  in 
Columbus — Chaplain  Moore  Elected — Trouble  in  Perry 
County— The  Gatling  Gun— Garfield  Funeral  at  Cleve 
land — Colonel  Freeman  Re-elected — A  Busy  Year — Jus 
tice  at  Cincinnati— The  Cincinnati  Riots— Colonel  Free 
man's  Report — Killed  and  Wounded. 

Central  Ohio  was  as  much  in  need  of  a  regiment 
of  militia  as  any  other  section  of  the  state,  and  in  point 
of  military  companies  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people 
in  military  matters,  this  part  of  the  state  excelled,  but 
the  companies  having  been  organized  more  for  social 
than  public  benefit,  they  were  slow  in  uniting  with 
a  state  institution,  making  more  exacting,  but  more 
uncertain  the  duty  they  loved  to  perform. 

The  question  increased  in  seriousness.  Accord 
ingly,  in  the  winter  of  1876,  a  number  of  Columbus 
gentlemen  met  at  the  office  of  the  adjutant  general  of 
the  state  and  discussed  the  organization  of  a  company 
or  companies  of  militia  in  the  central  part  of  the  state. 
It  was  decided  th|t  something  should  be  done  in  the 
matter  at  once  and  the  governor  promptly  appointed 
Captain  Charles  Ammel  to  organize  what  was  to  be 
known  as  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  Ohio 
National  Guards. 

Captain  Ammel  at  once  set  to  work  at  this  task 
and  in  the  following  March  Company  A  was  made  the 


24  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

nucleus  of  the  new  regiment,  with  Captain  Ammel  as 
its  commander.  A  little  later  Company  B,  with  Cap 
tain  Henry  Seibert,  was  mustered  in,  immediately  fol 
lowed  by  D  Company  at  West  Jefferson,  with  Cap 
tain  Eugene  Babb  in  command.  Company  E  was 
next  organized  at  Marysville,  with  Captain  William 
L.  Curry  at  its  head,  and  then  Captain  John  Chapin 
with  Company  F  at  Columbus.  Company  G  came 
next,  in  command  of  Captain  John  P.  Slemmons,  at 
Richwood,  and  then  Company  C  was  organized  at 
Westerville,  Captain  Isaac  N.  Custer. 

The  following  order  then  completed  the  organ 
ization  : 

October  20,  1877. 
Special  Order  216: 

I.  The  following   companies   of  infantry   will 
constitute  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Infantry,  Ohio 
National  Guard:     Captain  Charles  S.  Ainmel's  Com 
pany,   of  Columbus,   Company   A;    Thurman   Light 
Guards,  Company  B;  Captain  Isaac  N.  Glister's  Com 
pany,  of  Westerville,  Company  C;  Darby  Videttes, 
Company  D;  Captain  William  L.  Curry's  Company, 
of  Marysville,  Company  E;  Converse  Guards,  Com 
pany  F;  Grosvenor  Rifles,  Company  G. 

II.  The  several  companies  composing  said  Four 
teenth  Regiment  are  hereby  directed  to  select  dele 
gates  to  put  in  nomination  candidates  for  colonel,  lieu 
tenant  colonel  and  major  of  said  regiment.     The  se 
lected  delegates  are  hereby  ordered  to  assemble  at  the 
Armory  of  Ohio  National  Guard,  in  the  city  of  Co 
lumbus,  on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  October,  A.  D. 
1877,  at  such  hour  as  may  be  most  convenient. 


TEE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  25 

III.  The  several  companies  composing  said  regi 
ment  and  the  delegates  to  nominate  candidates  are 
hereby  directed  to  be  governed  in  all  their  proceedings 
by  paragraphs  35,  36  and  37  of  the  Code  of  Regula 
tions  for  the  Ohio  National  Guard. 

DAK  A.  GEOSVENOR, 
Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

The  first  election  of  regimental  officers,  held  Oc 
tober  27,  1877,  resulted  as  follows:  Henry  Hein- 
miller,  colonel;  William  L.  Curry,  lieutenant  colonel; 
John  "W.  Chapin,  major.  Commissions  were  made 
to  date  from  October  3, 1877,  but  owing  to  his  onerous 
duties  as  superintendent  of  the  fire  department  of 
Columbus,  Colonel  Heinmiller  refused  to  qualify. 
Another  election  for  choice  of  colonel  was  conse 
quently  held,  which  resulted  in  the  choice  of  George 
D.  Freeman  as  colonel  of  the  new  regiment.  His 
commission  was  to  date  from  December  29,  1877. 

Two  elections  were  necessary  for  the  selection  of 
the  first  colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  candidates, 
Colonel  Freeman  and  Isaac  N.  Potter,  had  fought  a 
hard  fight  and  fraud  was  charged  against  Colonel 
Freeman  and  his  friends.  The  result  was  very  close 
but  the  second  election  gave  Colonel  Freeman  a  hand 
some  majority  over  his  opponent,  and  all  parties  were 
satisfied. 

The  first  regimental  order  was  issued  from 
Colonel  Curry's  headquarters  at  Marysville,  and  an 
ticipated  participation  in  the  inaugural  parade  of 


26  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

Governor  Bishop.  This  occurred  on  Janury  14,  and 
was  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  regiment  rnade> 
an  official  appearance. 

The  first  actual  duty  performed  by  the  regiment 
was  at  the  time  of  the  railroad  riots  of  1877,  when  A 
Company  was  ordered  to  duty  at  the  State  Capitol  and 
B  Company  at  Newark.  Out  of  the  enlistment  of 
only  fifty-three  men,  fifty-one  responded  promptly  for 
duty.  Certainly  this  response  bears  out  all  that  was 
said  of  the  Ohio  soldiery  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter,  and  certainly  this  was  a  noble  example  to 
set  for  an  Ohio  military  organization  to  follow. 

Shortly  after  this,  two  more  companies  were  added 
to  the  regiment.  They  were  Company  H,  at  Canal 
Winchester,  with  Captain  Philip  Game  in  command, 
and  Company  I,  at  Plain  City,  under  Captain  J.  Q. 
Converse.  Shortly  after  this  General  Karr,  on  be 
half  of  its  lady  friends,  presented  to  the  regiment  its 
first  stand  of  colors.  These  colors  were  carried  on  the 
day  of  the  first  parade,  January  14.  This  was  a 
most  handsome  present,  and  it  was  valued  at  $300. 
Unfortunately,  this  beautiful  standard  was  burned  in 
1888,  when  the  Columbus  Armory  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

The  first  encampment  of  the  regiment  was  also 
held  in  this  year  at  Marysville.  The  men  were  al 
lowed  one  dollar  per  day  by  the  state  for  their  time 
and  all  the  expense  of  the  encampment  had  to  be 
borne  by  the  soldiers  themselves. 

In  the  spring  of  1878  there  was  a  large  number 
of  incendiary  fires  in  the  city  of  Columbus.  Houses 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G.  27 

and  factories  were  ruthlessly  burned  for  no  reason 
which  any  one  was  able  to  understand,  and  while  the 
city  authorities  were  considering  what  to  do,  Colonel 
Freeman  generously  offered  the  services  of  his  regi 
ment.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  whole  city  was 
thoroughly  patroled.  The  result  was,  that  after  a 
service  of  this  kind  lasting  for  ten  days,  the  incen 
diarism  was  permanently  stopped. 

In  this  year  Company  K,  of  Delaware,  Captain 
F.  M.  Joy,  came  into  the  regiment,  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  Rev.  W.  E.  Moore,  of  Columbus,  was  made 
chaplain  of  the  regiment.  Chaplain  Moore  remained 
with  the  regiment  in  this  capacity  until  April,  1898, 
when,  on  account  of  declining  years,  he  thought  best 
to  retire  from  active  military  service.  In  his  resigna 
tion  the  regiment  suffered  a  great  loss  and  they  felt 
it  keenly. 

Company  I,  of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  was  this 
year  transferred  to  the  Fourteenth  and  given  the  let 
ter  E.  This  company  was  stationed  at  Mt.  Gilead. 
The  annual  encampment  for  this  year  was  held  at 
Delaware  and  later  the  Columbus  and  other  companies 
turned  out  to  receive  General  Grant  on  his  return 
from  his  tour  around  the  world. 

A  pleasing  event  in  the  history  of  the  regiment 
occurred  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1880,  when  the 
Columbus  Battalion,  on  the  day  of  the  inauguration 
of  Governor  Foster,  entertained  the  retiring  Governor 
Bishop  and  the  new  governor  as  guests  of  honor  and 
the  visiting  military  organizations.  The  dinner  was 
given  at  the  Armory  on  East  Town  street,  and  will 


28  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

always  be  remembered  by  those  who  were  permitted  to 
be  present.  On  August  4  the  annual  encampment 
was  held  at  Prospect  Park,  near  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y. 

In  September  of  1880  the  miners  of  Perry 
county  created  another  disturbance  and  Colonel  Free 
man,  placing  himself  at  the  head  of  Companies  A,  B 
and  F  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  trouble.  The 
situation  was  critical,  the  trouble  having  arisen 
through  the  employment  by  coal  companies  of  a  num 
ber  of  colored  miners.  This  enraged  the  white  miners, 
who  had  arranged  a  plot  to  get  all  the  negroes  on  the 
inside  of  the  mine,  then  set  fire  to  the  entrance  and  kill 
the  fleeing  negroes  as  fast  as  they  came  out  of  the 
burning  mine. 

The  strikers  tapped  telegraph  wires,  thus  keeping 
fully  informed  as  to  what  was  going  on  at  the  capital, 
and  they  were  rapidly  preparing  to  meet  the  militia. 
They  learned  that  the  Fourteenth  would  have  a 
Gatling  gun  in  their  possession,  but  they  were  ig 
norant  as  to  what  that  weapon  resembled  in  appearance 
or  as  to  what  it  was  capable  of  accomplishing.  A 
citizen  of  Columbus  who  had  formerly  been  a  member 
of  the  militia,  and  who  entertained  great  fears  lest  a 
clash  between  the  miners  and  the  soldiers  would  re 
sult  in  the  loss  of  many  lives,  proceeded  to  tell  the 
congregated  strikers  what  the  Gatling  gun  could  do. 
Of  course  he  exaggerated  as  much  as  he  could  safely 
do,  but  his  tales  of  marvelous  destructive  powers  had 
the  desired  effect. 

When  the  Fourteenth  arrived  on  the  scene,  the 
Gatling  gun  was  in  a  box  car,  the  murderous-looking 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     Q.  29 

barrel  extending  from  the  door  of  the  car  and  a  reso 
lute  squad  of  men  ready  to  operate  it  at  a  moment's 
notice.  The  very  sight  of  this  gun  and  the  men  who, 
by  their  looks,  showed  that  they  had  come  to  perform 
the  duty  of  soldiers,  had  the  effect  of  sending  the 
men  peaceably  to  their  homes,  and  the  danger  of  an 
outbreak  was  averted. 

In  1881  the  regiment  encamped  near  Sandusky. 
During  that  year,  also,  the  regiment  won  another  vic 
tory  over  the  other  regiments  in  the  National  Guard  as 
to  appearance  and  discipline.  The  occasion  was  the 
ceremony  at  Cleveland,  in  honor  of  the  murdered 
President  Garfield.  When  it  had  been  determined 
that  the  governor  and  his  official  staff  would  attend 
the  Cleveland  services,  Colonel  Freeman  tendered  sev 
eral  companies  of  the  Fourteenth  as  an  escort.  The 
offer  was  accepted  and  the  colonel  at  once  set  to  work 
getting  ready  his  "several  companies.''  The  result 
was,  of  course,  that  the  whole  regiment  assembled, 
prepared  to  go  to  Cleveland.  As  soon  as  the  other 
regimental  commanders  had  learned  what  Colonel 
Freeman  had  done,  they  all  hastened  to*  tender  the 
services  of  their  regiments  also.  The  result  was  that 
practically  the  whole  of  the  National  Guard  was  rep 
resented  at  the  funeral  ceremony. 

There  was  at  that  time  considerable  jealousy  ex 
isting  against  the  Fourteenth,  and  a  great  deal  of  this 
was  at  Cleveland.  Colonel  Freeman  decided  to 
either  overcome  this  feeling  or  give  the  enemies  of  the 
regiment  a  reason  for  feeline  as  they  did.  The  men 
were  all  ordered  to  wear  white  collars,  black  their 


30  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

shoes  and  make  every  arrangement  for  appearing  at 
their  best.  In  addition  to  this  each  man  was  given  a 
red  blanket  cover,  so  that  when  these  were  strapped 
across  the  backs  of  the  men  the  appearance  denoted 
that  the  blankets  were  alike. 

The  men  looked  their  best,  and  on  the  entrance 
to  the  town,  instead  of  leaving  the  depot  and  making 
a  great  display  on  their  first  appearance  in  the  city, 
Colonel  Freeman  left  the  train  at  a  point  where  he 
could  follow  a  course  around  the  depot  and  pass  the 
reviewing  stand  over  a  descending  street,  thus  showing 
to  a  better  advantage  the  discipline  and  drill  of  the 
men.  A  number  of  regular  army  officers  witnessed 
this  movement,  among  them  General  Schoffield,  and  as 
soon  as  the  rear  of  the  column  had  passed,  there  was 
a  grand  round  of  applause.  When  Colonel  Freeman 
reported  for  duty,  he  was  assigned  by  the  general  in 
charge  to  the  post  of  honor  at  the  cemetery.  The 
jealousies  of  the  other  regiments  were  by  no  means 
removed  at  Cleveland,  but  there  was  certainly  a  greater 
admiration  for  the  Fourteenth  inspired  by  its  fine  ap 
pearance  and  the  willingness  with  which  they  per 
formed  the  duty  assigned  them  made  a  warm  place  for 
them  in  the  hearts  of  the  army  officers. 

The  following  year  Lieutenant  Colonel  Curry  re 
signed  and  his  place  was  filled  by  the  election  of  Cap 
tain  William  M.  Liggett,  of  D  Company,  Marysville. 
Major  John  W.  Chapin  also  resigned  during  the  year 
and  he  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Andrew  Schwarz,  of 
B  Company.  The  regimental  camp  this  year  was  at 
Belle  Isle. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  31 

The  term  of  office  of  Colonel  Freeman  expired 
during  the  following  year,  1883,  and  a  convention 
was  called  to  place  candidates  in  nomination  for  elec 
tion  to  succeed  him.  The  convention  was  called  to 
order  in  Columbus,  but  after  a  very  brief  session,  it 
was  unanimously  decided  to  renominate  Colonel  Free 
man  by  acclamation.  The  nomination  was  enthusi 
astically  received  by  the  companies,  and  Colonel 
Freeman  was  duly  elected.  The  annual  encampment 
was  held  that  year  at  Cuyahoga  Falls. 

The  year  of  1884  was  the  most  eventful  so  far 
as  the  importance  of  the  service  of  the  regiment  is 
concerned  that  had  yet  passed  over  the  Fourteenth.  In 
that  year  its  members  tasted  warfare  in  all  its  frightful 
phases;  witnessed  scenes  of  bloody  carnage  even  on 
the  soil  of  their  native  state;  suffered  from  fatigue, 
privation  and  danger,  and  one  brave  lad  gave  up  his 
life  for  the  safety  of  his  neighbors. 

For  several  years  preceding  the  one  of  which  we 
write,  the  police  department  at  Cincinnati  was  man 
aged  in  a  manner  very  unsatisfactory  to  a  large  portion 
of  Cincinnati's  population.  Several  heinous  crimes 
had  been  committed,  but  the  offenders  were  permitted 
to  plead  to  light  charges,  or,  if  found  guilty,  sentences 
imposed  were  lighter,  according  to  the  judgment  of 
many  of  the  people,  than  the  circumstances  seemed  to 
justify.  Matters  grew  from  bad  to  worse  until  a 
prominent  citizen  was  murdered.  One  of  the  mur 
derers  told  the  story  of  the  crime,  admitted  his  guilt 
and  was  sentenced  to  serve  twenty  years  in  the  Ohio 
penitentiary. 


32  TEE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

It  has  since  developed  that  the  young  man, 
"Billy"  Berner,  had  received  a  sentence  as  heavy  as 
he  really  deserved,  and  before  his  penitentiary  sentence 
had  expired  many  prominent  citizens  signed  petitions 
to  the  board  of  prison  managers  asking  that  he  be  re 
leased.  He  was  accordingly  paroled  and  left  the 
prison  a  quiet,  peaceful  citizen. 

There  was  a  strong  sentiment  against  Berner  in 
Cincinnati  at  the  time  of  the  trial,  however,  and  re 
membering  the  cases  which  had  preceded  his,  a  large 
number  of  citizens  united  to  take  the  law  in  their  own 
hands.  The  sheriff  of  Hamilton  county  was  unable 
to  protect  public  property  and  he  appealed  to  Governor 
Hoadley  for  military  help.  The  First  Begiment, 
most  of  which  was  stationed  in  Cincinnati,  failed  to 
suppress  the  trouble,  and  the  Fourteenth  was  ordered 
to  the  scene.  How  well  they  performed  their  duty 
may  be  seen  in  the  report  of  Colonel  Freeman  which, 
condensed,  is  as  follows: 

Headquarters  Fourteenth  Regiment,  O.  N.  G., 

Columbus,  Ohio,  April  7,  1884. 
Hon.  George  Hoadley,  Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief : 

"Sir — In  obedience  to  orders  received  at  12:30 
noon,  on  March  29, 1  caused  the  riot  alarm  to  be  sound 
ed  in  Columbus,  and  immediately  telephoned  to  Com 
pany  C,  Westerville;  Company  D,  Marysville;  Com 
pany  H,  Canal  Winchester,  and  Company  K,  Dela 
ware,  to  assemble  and  to  take  the  first  train  to  Colum 
bus,  equipped  for  duty.  The  field  and  staff,  with  the 
several  Columbus  companies,  Company  A  under  Capt. 
Pugh;  Company  B,  Captain  Coit;  Company  F,  Cap- 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  33 

tain  Slack;  Governor's  Guard,  unattached,  Lieutenant 
Sheppard,  and  Duffy  Guard,  Company  B  of  the  Ninth 
Battalion,  Captain  Payne,  reported  at  2  P.  M.  ready 
for  marching  orders.  I  directed  them  to  await  orders. 
At  4  P.  M.  the  command  marched  to  the  depot,  where 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Ligget  reported  with  Company  C, 
Captain  Custer;  Company  D,  Captain  Sellers;  Com 
pany  H,  Captain  Speaks,  and  Company  K,  Captain 
Brown. 

"On  receipt  of  written  orders,  accompanied  by 
Colonel  Church  of  your  staff,  we  left  for  Cincinnati. 
At  Xenia  coffee  and  sandwiches  were  served  to  the 
command.  At  Corwin,  Company  F,  Thirteenth  Regi 
ment,  Captain  Kearney,  reported;  at  Loveland,  Com 
pany  B,  Thirteenth  Regiment,  Captain  Brock,  re 
ported.  Here  our  first  orders  from  Cincinnati  were  re 
ceived,  bearing  information  that  the  Court  House  was 
fired  in  the  Treasurer's  office  and  that  Captain  Des 
mond  of  the  First  Regiment  had  been  killed  by  the 
mob. 

"On  arriving  at  Cincinnati  depot,  we  were  met 
by  Colonel  Ryan  and  a  deputy  sheriff,  with  written 
orders  from  Colonel  Hawkins,  sheriff  of  Hamilton 
county,  to  report  at  once  at  the  county  jail. 

"Twenty  rounds  of  ball  cartridges  having  been 
issued  to  each  man,  special  orders  were  given  to  be 
cool  and  especially  careful  not  to  fire  unless  absolutely 
necessary,  and  then  only  on  command.  Under  escort 
of  the  deputy  sheriff  and  General  Ryan,  we  marched 
to  the  jail. 

"We  were  not  molested  en  route,  further  than  by 
the  throwing  of  stones  and  firing  of  revolvers  in  the 


34  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

vicinity  of  the  rear  guard,  with  plenty  of  swearing  and 
abuse  from  the  bystanders.  Sheriff  Hawkins  directed 
me  to  place  the  battery  gun  with  support,  at  the  barri 
cade  on  Court  street  in  front  of  the  jail,  and  to  clear 
Main  street  of  the  mob.  To  support  the  battery  gun, 
I  detailed  Companies  H,  K  and  I,  then  directed 
Colonel  Liggett  to  take  Companies  A,  F,  D  and  C, 
climb  the  north  barricade  and  march  to  Main  and  drive 
the  mob  from  that  part  of  Main  street  between  North 
Court  street  and  canal  bridge,  and  hold  the  position. 
I  also  directed  Major  Schwarz  with  Companies  B  of 
the  Fourteenth,  B  and  F  of  the  Thirteenth,  B  of  the 
Ninth  Battalion  and  the  Governor's  Guards,  to  clear 
Main  street  from  that  point  to  Court  street  and  hold 
the  position.  On  reaching  Main  street,  Colonel  Lig 
gett  ordered  Company  A,  supported  by  Company  D, 
to  move  forward  and  press  the  mob  north  over  the 
canal  bridge ;  this  was  done  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
I  also  directed  Companies  F  and  C  to  hold  the  mob  in 
front  of  the  Court  House  in  check.  As  soon  as  Com 
panies  A  and  D  had  completed  the  task  assigned  them, 
they  with  a  detail  from  Company  C,  utilized  a  lot  of 
salt,  in  barrels,  to  build  a  barricade  across  Main  street 
at  the  bridge.  Major  Schwarz  marched  to  Main  street 
and  ordered  Company  B,  Fourteenth,  to  South  Court 
street  to  clear  the  street  and  hold  the  position ;  at  the 
same  time  ordering  Companies  B  and  F,  Thirteenth 
Regiment,  and  Company  B,  Ninth  Battalion,  to  form 
across  Main  street  and  hold  the  crowd  from  getting 
in  the  rear  of  his  other  detachment.  Company  B,  of 
the  Fourteenth  pushed  forward,  driving  the  crowd 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  35 

from  them  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  When  near- 
ing  South  Court  street,  the  first  manifestations  of  the 
mob  were  made  to  resist  further  progress  of  the  sol 
diers.  The  Governor's  Guard  were  immediately  or 
dered  to  the  support  of  Company  B.  The  mob  in 
front  of  the  Court  House  pressed  forward,  throwing 
stones  and  using  firearms,  and  after  repeated  warn 
ings  by  myself  and  other  officers  to  fall  back,  they  re 
peated  their  demonstrations  and  started  to  press  down 
on  the  soldiers,  when,  seeing  there  was  no  other  al 
ternative,  the  command  was  given  to  the  first  platoon 
to  fire.  This  checked  them,  and  they  fell  back  into 
Court  street.  One  person,  the  leader  of  the  party, 
was  killed  and  several  wounded.  I  hastened  to 
Colonel  Liggett' s  command  and  caused  Company  F  to 
be  detailed  to  move  forward  and  assist  in  clearing  Court 
street.  I  then  ordered  Company  B,  Fourteenth  Regi 
ment,  and  the  Governor's  Guard  to  their  support. 
The  column  then  moved  west  on  Court  street  to  the 
first  alley,  the  crowd  falling  back  in  front  of  them. 

"Later  I  was  advised  that  the  mob  had  advanced 
to  the  point  where  Court  street  widened,  and  under 
the  cover  of  buildings,  had  pelted  the  soldiers  with 
stones  and  fired  on  them,  wounding  Colonel  Liggett, 
Captain  Slack  and  eight  others,  and  that  the  command 
was  given  to  the  first  platoon  of  Company  F  to  fire,  but 
with  what  results  to  the  mob  I  was  not  informed.  I 
immediately  detailed  Company  H,  and  with  a  de 
tachment  of  police,  gathered  such  material  as  was  on 
hand  and  carried  it  to  Court  street  to  build  a  barricade. 

"The  mob  had  retreated  to  the  Market  House 
and  contented  themselves  with  firing  revolvers  and 


3ti  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

muskets  from  that  point.  About  2  A.  M.  came  word 
that  the  mob  had  e;ot  into  the  Music  Hall  and  had  cap 
tured  three  brass  cannon  belonging  to  the  Second  Bat 
tery.  Soon  after  a  telephone  message  was  received 
from  Colonel  Church  saying  that  a  mob  of  about  200 
had  three  brass  cannon  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Vine  streets.  I  ordered  Companies  H  and  I\,  with  the 
battery  gun,  to  accompany  Sheriff  Hawkins  and  my 
self  in  their  pursuit.  Chief  Keilly  of  the  police  de 
tailed  one  company  of  his  command  to  lead  the  ad 
vance.  The  police  being  able  to  move  much  faster 
than  the  soldiers,  who  had  the  gun  to  shove  over  the 
pavement,  were  enabled  to  get  there  first  and  had  the 
honor  of  capturing  the  guns  which  they  pulled  by  hand 
to  the  jail. 

"Little  occurred  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night.  Surgeons  Guerin  and  Gunsaulus  secured 
BurdsaPs  drug  store,  400  Main  street,  as  a  temporary 
hospital,  where  they  attended  the  wounded  soldiers 
and  did  good  service.  Sunday  morning  we  were  rein 
forced  by  Colonel  Picard,  of  the  Thirteenth  Eegiment, 
with  Company  A  of  his  command,  bringing  with  him 
10,000  rounds  of  ball  cartridges.  During  the  after 
noon  a  barricade  was  built  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Ninth  streets.  The  crowds  continued  to  increase  at 
Ninth  and  Main,  Ninth  and  Sycamore,  at  the  canal  on 
Main  street,  and  especially  on  Court  street.  During 
the  afternoon  threats  were  made  and  many  became 
unruly  and  numerous  arrests  were  made  by  the  police 
under  cover  of  the  soldiers  at  the  barricades.  The 
roughs  in  front  of  the  Court  street  barricade  succeeded 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G.  37 

in  covering  themselves  by  pushing  forward  all  the 
women  and  children  to  the  front,  but  fortunately  for 
all,  they  contented  themselves  with  venting  their 
wrath  in  swearing  vengeance  when  night  should  come 
and  occasionally  hurling  a  stone  or  firing  a  revolver. 
At  Main  street  and  the  canal,  under  cover  of  bridge, 
stones  were  continually  thrown  at  the  soldiers  and 
many  were  hit,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  effort  that 
the  mob  were  restrained  from  advancing  on  the  bridge 
and  firing  at  the  guards.  At  last  one  fellow  advanced, 
brandishing  a  revolver  and  defying  the  guard,  and  fell. 
His  friends  carried  him  away.  The  shot  had  the  de 
sired  effect,  stopping  all  disturbance  at  this  point.  Be 
tween  2  and  3  P.  M.  the  Fifth  Battery,  Captain  Sintz 
commanding,  arrived  and  were  assigned  position;  also 
115  officers  and  men  of  the  Fourth  Regiment. 

"In  consultation  with  Sheriff  Hawkins  and  Col 
onel  Hunt,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  move  forward 
and  strengthen  the  barricade  on  Sycamore  and  ISTinth 
streets;  also  the  one  on  Court  street  facing  the  canal. 
At  dusk  the  positions  of  the  companies  were  changed 
from  what  they  were  the  night  before.  All  was  com 
paratively  quiet  until  between  10  and  11  o'clock,  when 
the  mob,  which  had  gathered  at  the  Market  House  on 
Court  and  Walnut,  commenced  firing  from  this  point, 
protecting  themselves  by  the  stands  at  the  Market 
House  and  by  the  buildings  at  the  corner.  When  the 
aim  of  the  mob  became  too  accurate  for  endurance,  it 
being  evident  by  the  balls  striking  the  barricade  and 
the  Court  House  beyond,  that  larger  weapons  than  re 
volvers  were  being  used,  it  was  thought  best,  at  least, 


38  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

to  give  the  mob  the  benefit  of  one  case  of  cartridges 
from  the  battery  gun  by  firing  it  into  the  Market 
House;  but  before  this  was  done,  due  warning  was 
given  by  the  officers  that  it  would  be  done  if  the  firing 
did  not  cease.  Oaths  and  a  volley  from  the  mob  was 
the  response;  then  the  twenty  shots  were  fired  from 
the  gun.  A  number  of  casualties  was  the  result. 
This  caused  the  mob  to  scatter  for  the  time  and  with 
the  exception  of  random  shots  from  them,  there  was 
comparative  quiet  until  about  midnight.  Orders  were 
received  from  General  Finley  and  the  mayor,  ordering 
a  detachment  to  be  sent  to  Walnut  Hills  to  guard  the 
powder  magazine  at  that  point.  Colonel  Pic-ard,  of 
the  Thirteenth  Regiment,  with  three  companies  of  his 
regiment,  were  detailed  for  that  purpose  and  remained 
there  until  about  5  o'clock  A.  M.  After  firing  the 
battery  gun  at  11  o'clock,  positive  orders  were  issued 
against  the  firing  of  any  single  shots  by  the  soldiers 
and  that  no  firing  should  be  done  unless  some  soldier 
was  shot  or  the  mob  endeavored  to  charge  the  works. 
Near  1  o'clock  it  became  evident  that  another  attack 
would  be  made.  I  took  my  station  at  the  corner  of 
Court  and  Main  with  Sheriff  Hawkins,  Colonel  Hunt,, 
Major  Schwarz,  Captain  Sintz  and  other  officers,  and 
in  speaking  distance  with  the  officers  in  charge  of  the 
barricade.  A  fusilade  was  opened  by  the  mob  from 
their  old  position  at  the  corner  of  Walnut  and  Court 
No  response  was  made  by  the  soldiers,  and  after  per 
haps  fifteen  minutes  over  fifty  shots  had  been  counted 
striking  the  Court  House,  others  having  hit  the  barri 
cade,  the  mob  became  bold  and  decided  to  charge,  and 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  39 

as  they  expressed  it  with  oaths,  'Clean  out  those  blue 
coats.7  The  soldiers  obeying  orders  remained  quiet 
and  not  until  the  mob  came  forward  firing  and  yelling 
was  the  order  given  to  fire,  when  two  volleys,  in  quick 
succession  were  fired.  Five  persons  were  known  to 
have  been  wounded.  This  was  the  last  firing  done 
and  gradually  all  became  quiet. 

"At  7  o'clock  Monday  morning  it  became  evi 
dent  that  the  rioting  for  the  day  was  over  and  orders 
were  given  to  unload  pieces. 

"During  the  day,  orders  were  received  for  Com 
pany  B  of  the  Ninth  Battalion  to  join  the  other  com 
panies  of  the  command  at  the  City  Building.  Com 
pany  E  and  a  detachment  of  Company  K  of  the  Four 
teenth  Regiment  and  two  companies  of  the  Thirteenth 
Regiment  arrived  and  reported  for  duty.  By  orders 
from  General  Finley  the  Seventeenth  Regiment  re 
ported  at  the  jail  for  duty.  Monday  night  was  quiet 
and  in  marked  contrast  with  the  night  previous,  the 
men  doing  their  duty  without  loads  in  their  pieces. 
The  men  of  the  companies  that  had  been  on  continuous 
duty  since  Saturday  were  relieved  and  allowed  to  se 
cure  such  quarters  as  were  available  for  rest.  Tues 
day  morning  Company  D  was  detailed  to  represent 
the  regiment  at  Captain  Desmond's  funeral  as  per 
General  Finley's  order. 

"At  2  P.  M.  orders  were  received  relieving  us 
from  further  duty  and  we  left  for  home  at  4:30  P.  M. 
Two  companies  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  were  left 
at  Loveland  and  Corwin  respectively.  The  remainder 
of  the  command  arrived  at  Columbus  about  10  o'clock, 


40  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

where  we  proceeded  to  our  armory  and  dismissed  the 
city  companies.  The  companies  outside  the  city  were 
quartered  in  the  armory  for  the  night  and  returned  to 
their  respective  homes  Wednesday  morning.  It  is 
my  painful  duty  to  report  one  fatal  casualty  in  my 
command,  that  of  Private  Israel  Getz,  of  the  Gov 
ernor's  Guard,  who  lost  his  life  by  the  accidental  dis 
charge  of  a  gun  while  on  duty  Mottdav  afternoon. 
I  here  desire  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  courtesies 
extended  to  me  by  my  superiors  while  at  Cincinnati  and 
to  every  officer  and  man  under  my  command  for  their 
alacrity  and  promptness  in  doing  every  duty  assigned 
them  and  for  their  coolness  and  soldierly  bearing 
under  the  most  trying  circumstances. 

"Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"GEO.  D.  FREEMAN, 
"Colonel  Fourteenth  Regiment." 

The  regiment  suffered  heavily  in  the  duty  at 
Cincinnati.  Their  suffering  from  loss  of  sleep,  con 
tinued  fatigue  and  the  great  mental  strain,  however, 
was  as  nothing  as  compared  to  the  casualties.  The 
effect  of  the  fighting  was  as  follows: 

KILLED. 

Private  Israel  Getz,  Governor's  Guard,  accident 
ally  shot.  Ball  entered  right  eye,  penetrating  brain, 
death  ensuing  in  almost  twelve  hours. 

WOUNDED. 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Liggett,  shot  through  calf  of 
leg,  presumed  to  be  a  !N"o.  32  pistol  ball;  Captain  Slack, 
Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment,  shot  in  right  hand 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  41 

with  medium  size  shot;  Sergeant  C.  S.  Amy,  Com 
pany  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment,  shot  in  head,  neck  and 
shoulder,  receiving  a  full  load  of  medium  sized  shot; 
Corporal  Morrison,  Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regi 
ment,  shot  in  face  and  hand  with  medium  sized  shot; 
Corporal  U.  S.  Rogers,  Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regi 
ment,  shot  in  face  and  leg  with  small  shot  and  struck 
in  chest  with  boulder,  and  in  falling  injured  his  back; 
Charles  W.  Berry,  private  Company  F,  Fourteenth 
Regiment,  contused  wound  of  left  knee  from  boulder ; 
Charles  Yeiser,  Private  Company  F,  Fourteenth 
Regiment,  shot  in  center  of  forehead  with  pistol  ball; 
AVilliam  Scobey,  private  Company  F,  Fourteenth 
Regiment,  lacerated  wound  of  left  upper  lip  produced 
by  brick  or  boulder;  J.  F.  Kelly,  Private  company  F, 
Fourteenth  Regiment,  slight  wound  in  leg  produced 
by  small  shot;  George  Borches,  private  Company  F, 
Fourteenth  Regiment,  contused  wound  of  scalp  pro 
duced  by  small  shot;  George  Dowdall,  private  Com 
pany  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment,  contused  wound  of 
face  produced  by  a  blow  of  the  fist;  E.  C.  Neiderlander, 
private  Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment  contused 
wound  of  shoulder  produced  by  club;  Grant  Thomas, 
private  Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment,  shot  in 
both  hands  with  small  shot,  one  shot  penetrating  joint, 
producing  a  painful  wound;  Oakey  Armsted,  private 
of  Governor's  Guard,  wounded  in  leg  by  the  accidental 
discharge  of  musket. 


42  THE     FOt'RTI-;i-;yTH,     ().     N.     G. 


CHAPTER  III. 


AN  EPOCH  OF  EXCURSIONS. 

Trouble  in  Hocking  County — Companies  K  and  B  on  Duty- 
Camp  at  Detroit— The  Field  of  Gettysburg— Colonel 
Freeman's  Proposition — Corporal  G-risso  Killed — The 
Fourteenth  at  Philadelphia — Inconveniences  Suffered  by 
Ohio's  Soldiers — Columbus  Armory  Burned — Hospital 
Corps  Organized — State  Encampment  at  Columbus — 
Ohio's  Centennial — The  Fourteenth  in  New  York — An 
nual  Encampments. 

Colonel  Freeman  in  his  report  has  told  as  fully 
as  could  be  related  in  so  few  words  of  the  excellent 
service  performed  by  the  regiment  in  the  times  which 
certainly  " tried  men's  souls"  in  Cincinnati.  It  is  very 
gratifying  indeed  to  note  that  in  all  the  state  and  par 
ticularly  in  Cincinnati  there  has  not  since  been  so 
troublesome  a  period.  The  regiment  had  another 
opportunity  of  showing  what  they  were  and  what  they 
could  do  in  a  call  to  Ashland,  where  Company  Gr  was 
sent  to  protect  the  county  Court  House  from  mob 
violence.  As  the  regiment  had  been  successful  at 
Cincinnati,  so  were  the  boys  who  went  to  Ashland, 
and  the  press  of  the  whole  country  paid  glowing 
tributes  to  the  bravery  of  the  "Gallant  Fourteenth." 

The  echoes  of  the  Cincinnati  riots  were  still  re 
verberating  through  the  state  when  the  miners  of 
Hocking,  Perry  and  Athens  counties  rose  up  in  their 
might  against  a  reduction  in  the  wages  paid  for  the 
mining  of  coal.  They  were  thoroughly  organized 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  43 

and  at  a  fixed  day  every  one  of  them  stopped  work  and 
refused  to  resume  operations  in  the  mines  until  their 
employers  should  agree  to  restore  their  former  wages. 
This  was  in  June  and  the  trouble  continued  through 
out  the  summer  until  the  following  August. 

In  the  meantime,  the  mining  companies  had  em 
ployed  men  to  take  the  places  of  the  strikers,  and  this 
move  was  met  with  determined  opposition  on  the  part 
of  the  miners.  No  demonstrations  were  made,  how 
ever,  until  in  August,  when,  on  the  30th,  matters 
assumed  a  very  serious  phase  at  Longstreth  and  Snake 
Hollow  in  Hocking  county  and  at  Straitsville  in  Perry 
county.  The  old  miners  here  had  determined  to 
compel  the  "scabs,"  as  those  who  had  taken  their 
places  were  called,  to  quit  work.  They  had  tried 
reason  and  pursuasion,  and  these  methods  failing,  force 
was  resorted  to. 

Telephone  and  telegraph  wires  were  cut,  and 
with  communication  thus  shut  off,  the  strikers  imag 
ined  that  they  commanded  the  situation.  Armed 
with  shotguns,  revolvers  and  other  weapons,  an  assault 
was  made  at  Snake  Hollow  and  one  man  killed.  A 
house  in  which  quite  a  number  of  people  were  asleep 
was  attacked,  but  fortunately  no  casualties  resulted. 
A  four  thousand  dollar  hopper  was  burned  with  a  large 
quantity  of  coal  and  some  other  property  destroyed. 
Fearing  that  further  trouble  would  follow,  Sheriff 
McCarthy,  of  Hocking  county,  appealed  to  the  gov 
ernor  for  military  aid.  The  appeal  was  joined  in  by 
the  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county  and  the  mayor 
of  the  town  where  the  rioters  were  in  force. 


44  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     Ar.     G. 

Colonel  Freeman  was  at  once  ordered  to  get  his 
command  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice  and  the 
regiment  was  accordingly  assembled  ready  for  duty. 
Companies  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventeenth  regiments 
wre  sent  to  the  scene  of  the  trouble,  and  at  first  it  ap 
peared  as  though  the  trouble  would  soon  end.  All  of 
the  Fourteenth  except  Company  K  was  relieved,  the 
company  mentioned  having  received  orders  to  report 
to  Assistant  Adjutant  General  Colonel  Dill,  who  took 
command  of  all  the  troops  in  the  field.  Rumors  ob 
tained  general  circulation  that  the  situation  was  be 
coming  more  serious  and  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness 
was  felt  among  the  troops  and  at  the  State  House. 
The  companies  above  mentioned  remained  on  duty 
with  Colonel  Dill  until  September  12th,  when  they 
were  relieved  by  companies  of  the  Second  and  Eighth 
regiments  and  B  of  the  Fourteenth,  Captain  Coit 
commanding.  When  B  company  reported  it  was  as 
signed  to  duty  at  Sand  Run,  a  detail  also  being  made 
to  report  for  duty  at  Murray  City.  The  company 
remained  on  duty  until  September  27th,  when  the 
trouble  was  all  over.  Lieutenant  H.  A.  Guitner,  of 
the  Fourteenth,  acted  as  quartermaster  for  the  troops 
during  the  time  they  were  at  the  mines,  and  Dr.  F. 
Gunsaulus,  of.  the  Fourteenth,  acted  as  surgeon. 

Flushed  with  victory  and  feeling  justly  proud  of 
the  record  they  had  made,  but  still  suffering  from  the 
severe  loss  which  they  had  sustained  during  the  past 
year,  the  boys  went  into  camp  at  Columbus  in  August. 
There  was  no  official  duty  to  perform  after  the  en 
campment,  and  what  had  been  the  busiest  year  in  the 


THE     FOURTEENTH.     O.     N.     G.  45 

history  of  the  regiment  was  quietly  ushered  out  with 
nothing  to  occupy  the  minds  or  the  time  of  the  boys 
as  soldiers,  but  regular  drill  and  application  to  the 
study  of  military  matters. 

In  1885  Lieutenant  Colonel  Liggett  severed  his 
connection  with  the  regiment  and  his  place  was  filled 
in  June  by  the  promotion  of  Major  Andrew  Schwarz. 
The  regiment  was  treated  to  a  pleasant  excursion  in 
the  autumn  of  this  year,  having  been  sent  to  Belle 
Isle,  near  Detroit,  for  the  annual  encampment. 
While  there  the  regiment  participated  in  the  memorial 
service  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  General  Grant. 
Their  fine  appearance  and  soldierly  bearing  was  favor 
ably  commented  upon  by  the  people  and  the  press  at 
Detroit, 

The  next  year  the  Governor's  Guard,  or  as  it  was 
"officially"  called,  "The  Governor's  Guard  Gatling 
Gun  Company,"  was  attached  to  the  regiment  and 
designated  as  Company  L.  It  was  not  long 
after  the  regiment  had  been  thus  strengthened 
that  another  riot  was  threatened  at  Cincinnati, 
and  it  was  feared  that  the  trying  experience 
of  two  years  before  would  be  repeated,  but  fortu 
nately  the  trouble  was  settled  without  the  service  of  the 
regiment.  The  boys  had  been  ordered  into  camp, 
however,  at  Carthage,  and  had  their  services  been  need 
ed  they  would  have  been  ready  to  go  "where  duty 
called.''  It  was  this  willingness  and  this  spirit  which 
has  won  for  the  regiment  the  reputation  it  enjovs  now, 
even  beyond  the  continent.  The  annual  encampment 
was  held  in  this  vear  at  Springfield  and  was  a  brigade 


46  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

camp,  with  Colonel  Freeman  in  command.  In  July, 
Captain  A.  B.  Coit  of  B  Company  was  made  major. 

The  encampment  in  1887  was  held  in  the  Fair 
Grounds  near  Lancaster,  O.,  and  the  tents  stood  in  the 
shadow  of  the  historic  old  Mt.  Pleasant,  On  the  ar 
rival  of  the  train,  September  6,  arches  were  found  over 
the  streets,  houses,  private  and  business  were  dec 
orated,  and  an  immense  crowd  cheered  the  boys  con 
tinually.  At  the  camp  grounds  it  was  found  that 
floors  had  been  provided  for  every  tent.  Until  Sat 
urday  the  time  was  spent  in  the  most  severe  drill  and 
preparation  for  the  most  pleasant  and  extensive  trip 
ever  enjoyed  by  a  regiment  of  O.  N.  G. 

The  dedication  of  the  Ohio  monuments  at  Gettys 
burg,  Pa.,  and  the  Constitutional  Centennial  celebra 
tion  at  Philadelphia,  were  the  two  occasions  in  which 
the  Fourteenth  was  to  officially  represent  the  state, 
but  at  their  own  expense. 

The  regiment  was  sadly  in  need  of  new  service 
uniforms  and  equipment.  Many  of  those  in  use  had 
been  worn  since  the  organization  of  the  regiment,  and 
in  that  time  many  calls  for  active  duty  had  put  them 
to  the  most  severe  tests.  In  a  conversation  between 
Colonel  Freeman  and  General  Axline,  the  latter  re 
marked  that  it  was  unfortunate  that  the  legislature 
had  made  no  appropriation  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
a  regiment  or  a  portion  of  one  to  represent  the  state. 
Colonel  Freeman  thereupon  tendered  the  services  of 
the  Fourteenth  at  their  own  expense,  providing:  the 
state  would  properly  equip  those  needing  it. 

The  offer  was  accepted,  the  officers  and  men 
turned  their  camp  pay  into  a  common  fund  and  Ohio 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  47 

was  represented  at  an  expense  to  the  members  of  the 
Fourteenth  regiment  of  over  $5000.  At  8  o'clock 
Sunday  evening,  a  special  train  was  boarded  and  with 
a  short  stop  in  Columbus,  the  run  was  made  over  the 
picturesque  Baltimore  and  Ohio  to  Gettysburg,  which 
was  reached  on  Tuesday  morning,  September  13. 
The  boys  disembarked  in  a  drizzling  rain,  marched 
through  the  old  town  and  pitched  their  tents  on  East 
Cemetery  Hill.  The  location  of  the  camp  was  in  the 
rear  of  the  position  occupied  by  Weidrick's  New  York 
Battery,  and  was  near  the  point  where  the  famous 
Ohio  Brigade  under  General  Carroll  repelled  and  for 
the  first  time  defeated  the  Louisiana  Tigers. 

In  honor  of  General  W.  S.  Hancock  the  camp 
was  named  after  him.  The  tents  had  scarcely  been 
pitched  when  the  rain  descended  in  torrents  and  every 
thing  was  thoroughly  soaked.  On  account  of  the 
condition  of  the  ground,  the  rink  was  secured  as  a 
sleeping  place,  but  in  all  other  respects  the  camp  was 
maintained.  The  day  for  exercises,  Wednesday, 
opened  clear  and  bright  and  was  ushered  in  by  a  salute 
by  a  section  of  Battery  E  of  the  First  Artillery,  which 
accompanied  the  regiment.  The  boys  brushed  and 
cleaned  up  to  receive  Governor  Foraker  and  the  Ohio 
Memorial  Commission,  and  to  escort  them  to  the  Na 
tional  Cemetery,  where  the  formal  dedicatory  exer 
cises  were  held. 

Upon  the  conclusion  a  salute  of  nineteen  guns 
was  fired.  While  this  was  in  progress  a  sad  accident 
marred  what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  trip  of  un 
alloyed  pleasure.  On  the  fifteenth  discharge.  Cor- 


48  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     A.     G. 

poral  Orris  Grisso  was  fatally  injured  by  the  premature 
discharge  of  the  gun.  Grass  and  weeds  were  being 
used  as  wadding  and  while  Corporal  Grisso  was  in  the 
act  of  ramming  it  home,  the  discharge  took  place. 
His  right  arm  and  shoulder  were  almost  torn  off.  He 
lingered  for  eight  days,  when  death  relieved  him.  He 
was  not  at  any  time  able  to  be  taken  to  his  home.  A 
delegation  from  Columbus  formally  represented  the 
regiment  at  his  funeral  services  in  Springfield. 

At  5  o'clock  that  afternoon  tents  were  struck  and 
the  train  again  boarded  for  Philadelphia,  where  the 
Fourteenth  was  Ohio's  only  military  representative  in 
one  of  the  most  magnificent  military  pageants  since  the 
close  of  the  war.  Thursday  morning  the  train  rolled 
into  Philadelphia  and  the  regiment  took  possession  of 
its  quarters. 

The  state  had  made  no  provision  for  the  trip 
whatever  and  the  regiment  was  tendered  their  quarters 
by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  Company. 
These  consisted  of  the  depot,  platforms  and  an  en 
closed  yard.  On  these  the  boys  nightly  rolled  up  in 
their  blankets  and  slept  soundly.  In  striking  contrast 
to  these  quarters  were  those  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
Regiment,  which  was  located  directly  across  the  street. 
Massachusetts  had  appropriated  $40,000  for  a  proper 
and  fitting  representation.  Housed  in  an  elegant  and 
well  built  rink,  the  members  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
slept  on  mattresses,  those  of  the  Fourteenth  Ohio  were 
housed  in  blankets  and  slept  on  the  ground.  Long 
tables  were  provided  by  Massachusetts  from  which 
her  representatives  ate  from  china  dishes  and  were 


I 


§•*",   <ji 
j 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  49 

waited  upon  by  colored  servants.  Frugal  Ohio  had 
her  men  eat  from  the  tin  plates  and  tin  cups  that  they 
had  brought  with  them.  Massachusetts  paid  her  rep 
resentatives  for  going,  while  Ohio  permitted  hers  to 
pay  all  the  expenses  for  the  trip  out  of  their  own 
pockets. 

On  Friday  morning  the  regiment  formed  at  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  depot  on  Chestnut  street  bridge 
and  proceeded  to  the  rendesvous  after  formally  re 
ceiving  Governor  Foraker  and  staff. 

At  midnight  of  the  same  day  the  regiment  board 
ed  the  special  train  and  left  for  Washington  City, 
where  Saturday  was  spent  in  sight-seeing.  Sunday 
noon,  after  a  long  ride,  the  Fourteenth  pulled  into  Co 
lumbus  after  two  weeks  of  continuous  service  and 
travel. 

Several  changes  in  the  organization  of  the  regi 
ment  took  place  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1888. 
Major  A.  B.  Coit  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieuten 
ant  colonel.  He  was  succeeded  by  Adjutant  Thad. 
R.  Fletcher. 

In  January  of  this  year  the  Columbus  Battalion 
met  with  a  severe  loss.  Its  Armory  on  Spring  street, 
at  the  corner  of  Front,  which  had  been  purchased  two 
years  previous,  was  entirely  consumed  by  fire  with  all 
its  contents.  Among  the  property  lost  by  the  fire  was 
the  stand  of  colors  presented  to  the  regiment  and  car 
ried  through  the  several  engagements.  In  addition 
to  these,  a  new  stand  was  also  burned  which  had  been 
presented  by  the  ladies  of  Columbus  that  winter  and 
had  only  been  carried  once,  on  the  inauguration  of 


50  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

Governor  Foraker  for  his  second  term.  It  was  in  the 
same  week  that  they  were  burned. 

On  March  3  an  order  was  issued  from  general 
headquarters  for  the  formation  of  a  hospital  corps. 
This  regiment  was  the  only  one  in  the  service  which 
complied  promptly  with  the  order,  and  it  went  into 
camp  with  a  well  drilled  corps.  It  had  also  a  regula 
tion  ambulance  and  equipage  for  field  work.  "Com 
pany  bearers'7  had  hitherto  performed  the  work  which 
now  came  in  as  the  duty  of  the  hospital  corps. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Guard  all 
the  troops  in  the  state  were,  brought  together  in  gen 
eral  encampment,  from  August  28  to  September  4  in 
clusive.  The  camp  was  located  two  miles  north  of 
Columbus  on  the  Bee  Line  Road.  It  contained  500 
acres  and  was  under  the  command  of  Major  General 
Axline.  Special  attention  was  given  to  division  work. 
The  purpose  in  bringing  the  organizations  together 
was  for  the  companies  and  regiments  to  see  the  degree 
of  efficiency  reached  by  the  others.  Special  attention 
was  given  to  the  formation  and  maintainance  of  all 
forms  of  guard  duty  applicable  to  a  division  in  active 
service.  In  the  evening  parades,  by  special  arrange 
ment,  men  would  often  become  overcome  with  heat 
or  get  suddenly  sick,  so  the  other  regiments  could  see 
the  value  of  an  efficient  hospital  corps. 

This  being  the  Ohio  Centennial  year,  a  large 
demonstration  was  held  in  Columbus,  and  on  breaking 
camp  the  entire  division  made  a  parade  in  honor  of 
the  event. 

On  September  9,  10  and  11  the  regiment  was  or 
dered  on  special  dutv  in  Columbus  incident  to  the 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O.  51 

general   encampment  of   the   Grand    Army   of   the 
Republic. 

In  1889  regimental  camps  were  entirely  dis 
pensed  with  and  the  entire  Guard  was  ordered  to  rep 
resent  the  state  at  the  centennial  celebration  of  the 
inauguration  of  Washington  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  in  New  York  City.  The  Guard  was 
divided  into  brigades,  the  Fourteenth  being  placed  in 
the  Second  Brigade,  of  which  Colonel  Freeman  was 
in  command.  The  Fourteenth  left  Columbus  on 
Sunday,  April  28,  via  the  Columbus,  Hocking  Valley 
and  Toledo  and  the  Erie  Roads,  and  arrived  in  New 
York  on  Monday  at  3  P.  M.  On  Tuesday,  the  30th, 
the  parade  was  held.  All  other  Ohio  regiments  left 
for  home  on  Tuesday  night  or  during  Wednesday, 
but  the  Fourteenth  remained  until  Saturday  evening 
and  arrived  home  on  Sunday  night.  The  boys  were 
thus  given  an  opportunity  to  visit  the  places  of  in 
terest  in  and  about  New  York.  A  very  pleasant  treat 
was  accorded  by  the  commanding  officer,  who  char 
tered  a  boat  and  took  the  command  out  to  sea. 
Quarters  were  furnished  by  the  committee  of  arrange 
ments  until  Wednesday  morning.  The  regiment 
then  moved  over  to  Jersey  City,  swung  cranes  and 
went  into  camp.  The  Erie  Railroad  and  the  Pullman 
Car  Company  officials  did  everything  in  their  power 
to  make  the  boys  comfortable.  They  placed  extra 
cars  at  their  disposal,  so  that  each  man  had  plenty  of 
room  to  lie  in  at  night  and  they  arranged  room  for 
cooking  purposes  in  the  yards. 


52  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

The  .Fourteenth  had  no  reason  to  feel  ashamed 
of  its  appearance  in  the  parade  here.  The  usual  de 
gree  of  efficiency  was  maintained  and  brought  forth 
praise  from  all  who  were  conversant  with  military 
matters.  The  entire  command  appeared  in  heavy 
marching  order  and  prepared  for  field  work. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  53 


CHAPTER  IV. 

STRIKES  AND  RIOTS. 

Resignation  of  Colonel  Freeman — Election  of  Colonel  Coit— 
General  Sherman's  Funeral  at  St.  Louis — Duty  at  Chi 
cago—Howe  on  1894— The  Wheeling  Creek  Campaign- 
Causes  for  the  Strike— Troops  Called  Out— Services  of 
the  Fourteenth— The  Result — Galvin's  Army— Trouble 
at  Washington  C.  H.— Colonel  Charged  With  Murder- 
Annual  Encampments. 

For  almost  twelve  years  the  destinies  of  the  regi 
ment  had  been  in  the  hands  of  Colonel  George  D. 
Freeman.  He  had  received  every  success,  every  re 
verse,  with  the  fond  interest  of  a  father.  He  had  sur 
mounted  difficulties  which  would  have  driven  many  a 
Napoleon  to  despair.  He  had  taken  charge  of  the 
regiment  when  it  was  made  up  of  scattering  groups  of 
awkward  men,  and  with  this  material  he  had  con 
structed  a  military  organization  which  was  now  known 
and  loved  all  over  the  United  States.  It  had  been  the 
hope  of  his  early  military  experience  and  it  has  ever 
since  been  the  pride  of  his  ripened  career.  Other 
duties  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  devote  the  time 
and  energy  which  according  to  his  ideas  of  administra 
tion  were  essential  in  keeping  the  regiment  what  he 
had  made  it,  so  on  October  9,  1889,  he  tendered  his 
resignation.  The  regiment  lost  his  presence  and  abil 
ity,  but  never  his  interest  or  his  sympathy.  He  has 
watched  with  a  jealous  eye  every  movement  of  the 
command,  and  when  it  became  a  part  of  the  United 


54  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     X.     G. 

States  army,  no  one  more  than  he  offered  every  possible 
assistance.  Even  while  in  a  foreign  land  his  influence 
was  ever  manifest,  and  when  the  regiment  returned 
home  covered  with  glory,  no  hand  of  welcome  was 
offered  with  a  warmer  heart  than  his. 

When  officers  and  men  realized  the  loss  they  had 
oustained,  they  began  to  look  about  for  material  with 
which  to  repair  the  breach.  In  this  effort  they  were 
exceptionately  fortunate.  On  November  8,  the  next 
in  command  stepped  forward  and  upward,  and  at  the 
call  of  the  regiment  took  up  the  work  where  their  be 
loved  leader  had  left  off.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Coit 
immediately  assumed  command  and  when  the  war 
with  Spain  came  on  he  was  found  at  his  post  of  duty, 
where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  succeeded  as  lieutenant  colonel  by  Major  Fletcher 
who  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Captain  Speaks. 

The  following  year,  1890,  the  miltary  laws  of 
the  state  were  changed,  making  fewer  but  stronger 
regiments.  The  Sixth  regiment  was  disbanded,  and 
the  companies  at  Mt,  Sterling,  Washington  C.  H,  and 
Circleville  were  attached  to  the  Fourteenth.  The 
organization  was  patterned  after  that  of  the  German 
army,  comprising  three  battalions  of  four  companies 
each.  This  organization  differed  from  that  observed 
in  the  reenlar  army,  but  it  was  maintained  throughout 
the  war.  The  regiment  encamped  in  1891  at  Presque 
Isle  and  did  no  duty  of  any  consequence  until  Febru 
ary  of  1892,  when  on  the  20th,  they  left  Columbus 
to  attend  the  funeral  of  General  William  T.  Sherman 
at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  annual  encampment  was  held 


i 


ALONZO   B.    COIT. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  55 

at  Marion.  Colonel  Ooit  at  this  time  was  assistant 
adjutant  general  of  the  state.  The  next  year  the  regi 
ment  went  to  camp  at  Logan,  O.  In  October  they 
attended  the  dedication  of  the  World's  Fair  Grounds 
at  Chicago  and  the  following  year  went  to  Chicago  to 
camp  and  attend  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

In  his  report  for  1894,  Adjutant  General  Howe 
said :  "The  year  has  made  history  for  the  Ohio  Na 
tional  Guard  more  extensive  in  operations,  exacting 
and  arduous  in  execution  than  any  year  since  its  or 
ganization.  The  unsettled  conditions  existing  not 
only  in  Ohio,  but  throughout  the  whole  country, 
seemed  to  bring  with  the  idleness  imposed,  lawlessness 
in  different  forms,  and  in  different  counties  civil  au 
thority  was  set  at  naught,  and  the  strong  arm  of  the 
state  government  was  called  upon  to  aid  and  uphold 
law  and  order." 

The  first  trouble  of  the  year  occurred  at  Toledo 
on  January  4.  On  the  19th  a  great  fire  at  Springfield 
made  it  necessary  to  call  out  the  militia.  Again  on 
February  23,  trouble  was  feared  at  Cincinnati,  but  fif 
teen  men  were  all  that  were  needed  to  restore  order. 
On  April  15,  the  sheriff  of  Logan  county  was  com 
pelled  to  call  upon  the  Second  Infantry  to  aid  in 
protecting  a  prisoner  from  mob  violence. 

Again  Adjutant  General  Howe  is  quoted :  "Fol 
lowing  this  trouble  came  the  holding  up  of  a  train  on 
the  Bailtimore  and  Ohio  Railway,  at  Mt.  Sterling,  by  a 
body  of  men  calling  themselves  "Galvin's  Army." 
These  men,  215  in  number,  had  taken  possession  of 
a  train  of  sixteen  cars,  and  would  not  leave  the  same. 


56  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

even  after  the  civil  authorities  had  called  to  their  aid 
as  many  deputies  as  they  could  secure  to  serve.  The 
railroad  company  also  selected  a  picked  body  of  men 
from  the  city  of  Columbus,  and  had  them  sworn  in  as 
special  deputies  and  tried  to  eject  the  men,  but  failed 
in  their  efforts.  The  sheriff  of  Madison  county,  seeing 
his  inability  to  enforce  law,  called  upon  the  Governor 
for  military  assistance,  and  there  was  ordered  to  Mt. 
Sterling  on  the  morning  of  April  28,  the  First  Bat 
talion,  Companies  A,  B.  C  and  F,  and  Company  L, 
14th  Infantry,  and  Battery  H,  First  Light  Artillery, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Coit.  The  troops  arrived 
at  Mt.  Sterling  and,  after  warning  the  offenders  to 
vacate  the  property  they  were  unlawfully  holding,  in 
a  good,  soldierly  way  proceeded  to  displace  them, 
which  was  done  without  serious  resistance,  and  trains 
were  at  once  started  on  schedule  time.  The  conduct 
in  this  affair  of  both  officers  and  men  is  to  be  com 
mended,  and  the  summary  dealing  with  these  offend 
ers  of  Ohio's  laws,  we  believe,  saved  the  State  much 
expense  during  the  year  from  the  same  class  of  people, 
of  whom  many  bands  entered  the  State  and  departed 
without  conflict  with  the  civil  authorities." 

N~o  comment  is  needed  to  these  words  of  praise. 
The  regiment  had  again  done  its  duty  and  the  glowing 
report  quoted  above  is  merely  the  official  one  of  many 
favorable  reports  of  this  tour  of  duty. 

The  call  for  troops  coming  from  the  sheriff  of 
Guernsey  county,  June  6,  1894,  proved  the  greatest 
of  the  year.  There  was  called  into  service  besides  the 
14th,  the  8th  Infantry,  seven  companies  of  the  17th 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  57 

Infantry,  the  2nd  Infantry,  the  16th  Infantry,  the  5th 
Infantry,  three  companies  of  the  3d  Infantry, 
the  Toledo  Cadets  and  three  Batteries  First 
Kegiment  Light  Artillery,  making  a  total  of 
3,371  officers  and  men  in  the  field.  In  addition  to 
these,  six  companies  of  the  3rd  Infantry  were  as 
sembled  in  their  armories,  making  a  total  of  officers 
and  men  under  call,  of  3,647. 

The  cause  for  this  array  of  military  strength  was 
a  general  "strike"  of  the  miners  and  the  National 
Guard  duty  is  known  as  the  "Wheeling  Creek  Cam 
paign." 

The  first  official  information  Governor  McKinley 
received  was  a  telegram  from  the  sheriff  of  Guernsey 
county,  dated  June  6,  stating  that  a  force  of  miners  es 
timated  at  from  400  to  600  men  had  taken  possession 
of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  at  Mineral  Siding 
and  that  they  were  interfering  with  trains  by  placing 
obstructions  on  the  track  and  compelling  freight  trains 
to  run  in  on  the  switches  and  take  off  all  coal  cars  be 
fore  being  permitted  to  proceed.  The  sheriff  added 
that  the  miners  were  armed  with  clubs  and  more  dan 
gerous  weapons,  and  that  threats  were  being  made  to 
do  still  greater  damage.  He  also  stated  that  he  could 
not  possibly  organize  a  posse  capable  of  coping  with 
the  miners  and  fearing  that  they  would  be  reinforced, 
asked  help  from  the  governor. 

Orders  were  at  once  promulgated  to  assemble  the 
various  regiments  and  by  the  next  morning,  June  7, 
another  appeal  was  made  by  the  sheriff  of  Belmont 
county,  giving  the  same  reason.  In  this  county  the 


58  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

B.  and  O.  and  the  C.,  L.  and  W.  Railways  were  at 
tacked,  the  latter  by  about  fifteen  hundred  men,  mostly 
foreigners,  so  the  sheriff  stated. 

The  regiment  was  scattered  all  over  Central 
Ohio,  many  of  the  men  residing  in  the  country  and  at 
small  inland  towns,  so  that  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  before  orders  were  issued  to  the  entire  regi 
ment.  Major  Speaks  was  then  a  clerk  in  General 
Howe's  office  and  had  it  not  been  for  his  energetic  ef 
fort,  the  regiment  could  not  possibly  have  been  as 
sembled  so  soon. 

Everything  was  gotten  in  readiness  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  seventh,  the  Fourteenth  left  Columbus 
for  Cambridge,  where  they  arrived  next  morning. 
General  Howe  accompanied  the  regiment  in  order  to 
be  on  the  scene  of  the  trouble  and  thus  be  better 
enabled  to  assume  personal  charge  of  general  opera 
tions.  At  eleven  o'clock  the  regiment  arrived  at 
Morris  Station.  There  they  found  that  cars  had  been 
knocked  to  pieces,  coal  dumped  on  the  tracks  and 
everything  in  turmoil.  At  a  quarter  after  one,  how 
ever,  the  trains  were  running  for  the  first  time  in  three 
days,  but  the  strikers  were  in  the  hills  near  by,  ready  to 
sweep  down  on  the  railroad  property  as  soon  as  the 
soldiers  had  left. 

The  danger  at  St.  Clairsville  Junction  had  be 
come  greater,  consequently  the  Seventeenth  was  left 
on  guard  at  Mineral  Siding  and  the  Fourteenth  and 
Eighth,  with  Battery  H  started  for  the  new  scene. 
Telegrams  were  fast  coming  in  to  the  governor  and  the 
situation  became  serious.  More  troops  were  ordered  to 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  59 

prepare  to  move  at  a  moment's  notice,  and  the  whole 
state  became  excited.  It  was  reported  to  the  governor 
that  near  a  cut  through  which  the  Fourteenth  would 
have  to  pass,  the  miners  were  located  and  that  they 
had  prepared  to  roll  down  a  huge  boulder  on  the  train 
bearing  the  troops  as  it  passed  them.  The  train  pro 
ceeded,  however,  and  was  not  seriously  molested  until 
it  reached  Wheeling  Creek,  six  miles  east  of  Bellaire. 
The  train  had  proceeded  along  the  banks  of  the  stream 
through  the  hills  until  it  reached  a  point  where  the 
valley  widened  into  a  basin.  It  was  a  beautiful  spot, 
an  ideal  location  for  the  little  mining  town,  which 
nestled  snugly  here  among  the  rugged  hills.  Across 
the  valley,  perhaps  a  mile,  stood  a  little  church, 
around  which  600  men  were  assembled.  The  regiment 
was  formed  and  immediately  deployed  into  battle  lines 
and  excitement  reigned  everywhere.  It  looked  as 
though  there  was  to  be  a  pitched  battle  and  many  ex 
pected  that  the  banks  of  the  picturesque  rivulet  which 
flowed  peacefully  through  the  rocky  hills,  would  soon 
be  gorged  with  a  stream  of  blood. 

As  the  regiment  advanced  slowly  across  the  little 
valley,  however,  the  crowd  dispersed.  The  regiment 
went  into  camp  and  threw  out  pickets.  The  soldiers 
and  miners  came  into  constant  contact,  but  at  no  time 
did  a  clash  become  general.  Several  times  crowds  had 
to  be  dispersed,  but  no  fatalities  resulted  from  the  dis 
charge  of  any  duty. 

Onthe morning  of  the  9th  Sheriff  Scott  announced 
that  trains  would  start  on  the  C.,  L.  &  W.  from  Bridge 
port,  where  coal  trains  had  been  detained  by  the  strik- 


60  THL     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

ers.  The  sheriff  requested  that  ample  protection  be 
given  coal  trains  throughout  Belmont  county.  A 
guard  was  ordered  consisting  of  the  Second  Battalion 
of  the  Fourteenth  and  the  Second  Battalion  of  the 
Second  regiments,  and  Colonel  Coit  placed  in  com 
mand  with  instructions  to  follow  trains  and  permit  no 
interference.  The  first  train  was  somewhat  delayed 
just  before  reaching  camp,  and  before  the  soldiers  had 
boarded  it.  It  had  been  stopped  for  an  instant  just  be 
yond  the  lines,  and  was  immediately  attacked  by  a 
crowd  of  women,  who  pulled  the  couplings  and  carried 
them  away.  They  were  encouraged  in  their  actions 
by  a  large  crowd  of  men  congregated  near,  but  not  on 
railroad  property.  A  detachment  was  sent  from  camp 
who  dispersed  the  crowd  and  enabled  the  train  men  to 
recouple  the  cars  and  proceed. 

The  coal  trains  guarded  by  the  Fourteenth  were 
molested,  but  so  well  did  the  boys  perform  their  duty 
that  no  damage  was  done  except  at  Burton,  where  the 
strikers  succeeded  in  disconnecting  one  of  the  trains 
by  drawing  coupling  pins.  The  train  was  gotten  safe 
ly  through  Belmont  county,  however,  and  the  soldiers 
reported  back  to  Wheeling  Creek,  tired  and  worn  out 
but  ready  for  duty  wherever  their  services  were 
needed. 

The  strike  soon  became  more  general  and  the  sit 
uation  became  more  serious  in  proportion.  Canal 
Dover  was  made  the  base  of  supplies  and  the  governor 
decided  to  push  a  vigorous  campaign  against  the 
strikers  unless  they  gave  up  the  idea  of  destroying 
property.  The  Fourteenth  Regiment  was  scattered 


r 


I 


'LEE    FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G.  61 

over  almost  the  whole  of  the  mining  district,  one  part 
of  the  detached  companies  being  placed  under  Colonel 
Barrow  at  Canal  Dover,  and  the  others  under  the  im 
mediate  command  of  Colonel  Co-it,  with  headquarters 
at  New  Philadelphia. 

There  was  at  no  time  what  could  be  called  a 
pitched  battle,  but  shots  were  actually  fired  on  several 
occasions,  but  fortunately  there  were  no  lives  lost  ex 
cept  that  of  Private  Gerber,  of  Columbus,  who  struck 
his  head  on  a  rock  while  diving  in  the  Tuscarawas 
river.  His  body  was  embalmed  and  sent  home  under 
escort  for  military  burial. 

The  miners  pursued  a  sort  of  guerilla  policy, 
keeping  as  much  as  they  could  out  of  sight  of  the  sol 
diers  and  making  raids  on  railway  and  mining  prop 
erty.  Bridges  were  burned  and  trains  were  stopped, 
but  as  soon  as  the  troops  approached  they  would  re 
treat  to  some  place  of  safety.  Colonel  Coit  gave  or 
ders  to  the  sentries  on  duty  to  allow  no  one  to  approach 
nearer  than  200  yards  of  the  picket  lines  and  then  to 
advance  singly  and  be  identified  by  one  of  the  mem 
bers  or  employes  of  one  of  the  mining  companies. 
Several  skirmishes  were  engaged  in  but  nothing  seri 
ous  occurred.  Private  Jacob  Stinnell  had  the  honor 
of  capturing  a  banner  from  a  party  of  miners  and  the 
act  of  himself  and  comrades  was  regarded  as  one  of 
unusual  bravery. 

At  Canal  Dover  several  drunken  persons  and 
some  of  the  colored  cooks  and  camp  followers  engaged 
in  a  quarrel  and  trouble  seemed  imminent,  but  prompt 
action  on  the  part  of  the  officers  quieted  all  the  trouble. 


62  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     U. 

The  drunken  persons  were  arrested  and  under  escort 
were  turned  over  to  the  civil  authorities.  Bridges  were 
burned  in  all  parts  of  the  mining  district  and  the  en 
tire  force  of  militia  on  duty  were  kept  dodging  from 
one  point  to  another.  Colonel  Coit  was  at  one  time  cut 
off  from  his  base  of  supplies  by  the  burning  of  a  bridge, 
but  he  managed  to  get  into  communication  with  head 
quarters  by  a  round-about  way. 

Finally,  on  the  seventeenth,  the  miners  and  oper 
ators,  having  come  to  an  agreement,  matters  became 
more  quiet  and  Colonel  Coit  wired  that  part  of  his 
command  could  be  dismissed.  Companies  H,  G,  M  and 
L  were  accordingly  relieved  and  the  next  day  the  en 
tire  regiment  was  called  back  to  Columbus,  where  the 
boys  were  glad  to  join  their  families  and  friends.  At 
Columbus  the  regiment  was  reviewed  by  Governor 
McKinley  and  the  men  publicly  thanked  for  their  ser 
vices. 

The  regiment  had  been  on  continuous  duty  for 
nearly  two  weeks  and  in  a  service  that  was  far  from 
being  a  pleasant  one.  There  was  danger,  privation  and 
hard  labor  to  perform,  but  the  men  suffered  all  their 
trials  as  real  soldiers  and  the  people  of  Central  Ohio 
were  justly  proud  of  them. 

While  the  services  of  the  regiment  in  the  Wheel 
ing  Creek  campaign  were  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
the  people,  a  most  distressing  occurrence  became  part 
of  the  history  of  Fayette  county.  A  negro  named 
Dolby  had  committed  a  criminal  assault  near  Wash 
ington  Court  House,  and  as  all  indications  seemed  to 
point  clearly  to  the  man's  guilt,  public  sentiment  be- 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  63 

came  uncontrollable.  The  negro  had  been  duly  ar 
rested  and  was  confined  in  the  county  jail,  but  as  the 
records  of  Fayette  county  were  without  the  stain  of 
such  crimes,  the  people  declared  that  no  one  should 
break  the  record  and  live.  Crowds  gathered  to  discuss 
the  situation  and  as  the  law  did  not  provide  for  the  ex 
ecution  by  capital  punishment  of  these  crimes,  many 
of  the  enraged  citizens  concluded  that  the  best  plan 
would  be  to  adopt  lynch  law  in  the  case. 

They  were  soon  joined  in  this  opinion  by  others 
and  before  even  they  themselves  were  aware  of  the 
fact,  a  dangerous  crowd  had  collected.  As  life  and 
property  seemed  to  be  in  danger  the  sheriff  called  in 
to  service  E  Company  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment, 
stationed  at  Washington  Court  House,  but  they  did 
not  present  force  enough  to  cope  with  the  crowd,  so 
the  governor  was  called  upon  for  more  troops.  Com 
panies  A  and  B,  of  the  Fourteenth,  under  Colonel 
Coit,  were  at  once  ordered  to  the  scene  of  the  trouble. 
They  left  on  the  afternoon  of  the  17th  of  Octo 
ber  and  arrived  in  Washington  Court  House  a  few 
hours  later.  The  official  report  has  the  following  to 
say  of  the  affair : 

"During  the  day  of  the  seventeenth  but  little 
trouble  occurred  except  at  the  time  the  prisoner  was 
taken  from  the  court  house  to  the  jail  for  trial.  As 
the  sheriff,  with  his  prisoner,  left  the  jail,  the  crowd 
assembled,  made  a  rush  and  but  for  the  cool,  solid  and 
effective  work  of  the  military,  would  have  secured  the 
prisoner  and  accomplished  their  purpose.  Officers  and 
men  in  this  afternoon  engagement  proved  themselves 


64  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

good  soldiers  and,  without  exercising  severe  punish 
ment  upon  those  unlawfully  assembled,  prevented  the 
mob  from  carrying  out  their  intentions.  The  prisoner, 
having  been  arraigned  before  a  grand  jury  especially 
convened,  pleaded  guilty  to  the  charge  and  was  at  once 
sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  the  maximum  term 
of  years  provided  by  law. 

aThe  crowd  had  constantly  been  increasing  dur 
ing  the  day  and,  in  consequence  of  the  fierce  struggle 
that  had  occurred  in  the  afternoon,  the  sheriff  was  of 
the  opinion  that  it  would  not  be  safe  to  take  the  pris 
oner  from  the  court  house  with  the  number  of  troops 
on  duty.  He  therefore  asked  that  more  troops  be  sent 
so  that  the  prisoner  might  be  moved  with  safety  to  the 
train  and  transported  to  Columbus.  While  awaiting 
re-enforcements,  Colonel  Coit  had  the  court  house 
cleared  of  citizens  and  he,  together  with  Major  Speaks 
and  the  sheriff,  begged  and  urged  the  crowd  to  dis 
perse  and  leave  the  court  house  grounds.  These  ap 
peals  were  frequently  made  to  the  crowds  out-side  and 
each  time  they  were  met  by  jeers  and  taunts.  Dark 
ness  coming  on,  Colonel  Coit  concluded  to  withdraw 
all  guards  from  outside  the  building  and  station  them 
within.  He  barricaded  the  doors  and  then  warned  the 
besiegers  to  not  molest  or  attempt  to  break  them  down, 
clearly  advising  them  that  if  such  an  attempt  were 
made,  the  troops  would  fire. 

"The  colonel  then  went  into  the  building  and, 
after  having  guards  placed  at  each  entrance,  gave  or 
ders  that  if  the  doors  were  broken  in  by  the  mob,  to 
fire.  Unlawful  demonstrations  were  still  kept  up,  and 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  65 

at  about  7:15  o'clock  of  the  evening  of  the  seventeenth 
of  October,  with  a  battering  ram  of  large  dimensions, 
the  south  doors  of  the  building  were  burst  in  and  the 
detail  stationed  at  this  point  fired  a  volley  into  the 
rnob,  which  proved  quite  destructive,  killing  outright 
two  persons  and  maiming  and  wounding  some  twelve 
or  fourteen  others.  Reinforcements  had  been  ordered 
to  report  to  the  sheriff. 

"These  commands  were  readily  assembled  and 
reached  Washington  C.  H.  in  the  early  morning  of  the 
eighteenth.  Forming  the  entire  force,  the  prisoner  was 
taken  from  the  court  house  and  escorted  to  the  depot, 
where  the  troops  under  command  of  Colonel  Ooit  em 
barked,  the  sheriff  having  in  charge  his  prisoner,  and 
all  proceeded  to  Columbus,  where  they  arrived  at 
about  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  eighteenth. 
After  seeing  the  prisoner  safely  landed  in  the  peni 
tentiary,  the  troops  marched  to  the  armory  and  were 
dismissed.  Colonel  Hunt,  commanding  the  forces  left 
at  Washington  C.  II.,  remained  until  about  11  o'clock 
a.  m.  of  the  eighteenth,  when  they  were  dismissed  by 
the  sheriff  and  returned  to  their  respective  homes. 
The  conduct  of  the  troops  throughout  was  commen 
dable,  and  press  and  public,  not  only  of  the  state,  but  of 
the  entire  country,  sustained  their  action  and  in  the 
strongest  terms  have  spoken  praise  of  Ohio's  citizen 
soldiery." 

Although  the  troops  had  done  their  duty,  it  was 
a  sad  sight  to  the  citizens  of  Washington  Court  House 
to  see  their  neighbors  thus  shot  down  and  they  felt 
very  much  grieved  in  the  matter.  Colonel  Coit  was 


66  TEE    FOURTEENTH,     0.    N.     G. 

blamed  for  the  deaths,  having  given  the  order  to  fire, 
and  the  sympathizers  with  the  intended  lynchers  were 
very  angry.  To  even  up  matters,  the  colonel  was 
charged  with  murder  and  indicted  by  a  grand  jury. 
When  the  time  set  for  his  trial  arrived,  he  secured  a 
change  of  venue  and  the  case  was  taken  into  the  courts 
of  Pickaway  county.  The  trial  lasted  several  weeks 
and  cost  both  the  county  and  the  colonel  considerable 
money,  but  it  finally  ended  with  a  verdict  of  acquittal. 

Thus  ended  the  history  of  the  regiment  as  a  Na 
tional  Guard  organization  so  far  as  active  service  is 
concerned.  The  annual  encampment  in  1895  was  at 
Chattanooga,  near  where,  three  years  later,  the  men 
received  their  first  experience  as  United  States  volun 
teers.  The  next  year,  1896,  the  encampment  was  at 
Cleveland,  and  in  1897  the  boys  were  given  an  excur 
sion  to  Nashville,  where  the  last  annual  encampment 
was  made  before  the  war. 

The  year  of  1898  brought  with  it  experiences 
with  which  very  few  of  the  members  of  the  Fourteenth 
were  familiar.  Some  of  the  older  members  remember 
ed  the  trying  times  of  the  great  Civil  War  and  to  the 
younger  members  this  year  brought  with  ir  all  the 
trials  and  hardships  of  actual  warfare  as  will  be  seen 
in  the  following  pages. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  67 


OHAPTEK  Y. 


WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

Period  of  Peace — Condition  of  Army  and  Navy — American 
Peace  Policy — Relations  Between  England  and  Spain — 
Cessions  of  land  from  Spain  to  United  States — Cuban 
Insurrection — The  "Ten  Years'  War" — Second  Rebel 
lion — Daily  Press  Reports — Cuban  and  Spanish  Lead 
ers — Weyler's  "Reconcentrado"  Plan — General  Lee's 
Report — The  De  Lome  Affair — Destruction  of  the 
Maine — The  Country  Aroused — Cry  for  War — Prepara 
tions  for  War — President's  Proclamation — Declaration 
of  War — Dewey's  Victory — Ohio's  Volunteers — Militia 
Assembled — The  Fourteenth  at  the  Auditorium — Camp 
Bushnell. 

A  period  covering  more  than  thirty  years  of 
absolute  peace  within  her  own  borders  and  with  all 
the  world  found  the  United  States  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1898  about  as  unprepared  for  war  as  she  had 
been  at  any  time  in  her  history.  During  that  period 
she  had  courted  peace  with  all  nations  and  it  seemed 
that  no  one  had  so  much  as  dreamed  that  anything 
but  the  same  blissful  happiness  enjoyed  so  long  and  so 
well  should  ever  be  disturbed  by  the  howling  of  the 
storm  of  war.  The  army  had  been  allowed  to  dwindle 
down  to  a  minimum  strength,  the  navy  had  been  neg- 
lf  cted,  at  least  when  compared  to  that  of  European 
powers,  the  military  forces  of  the  various  states  had  re 
ceived  but  half  the  encouragement  they  should  have 
received  and  the  idea  of  a  naval  reserve  had  just  be 
gun  to  be  considered. 


68  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

In  its  general  foreign  policy,  peace  and  good  will 
was  the  first  relation  to  be  desired  by  our  government 
under  all  administrations  with  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  War  had  never  come  by  solicitation,  and  hav 
ing  in  all  conquests  been  eminently  successful,  there 
seemed  to  be  no  need  for  any  special  provision  for  de 
fense  and  the  idea  of  conquest  had  never  ben  consid 
ered.  It  seems  that  with  Spain,  however,  the  United 
States  inherited  war  from  the  mother  country.  For 
centuries  the  navy,  the  soldiery  and  the  citizens  of  the 
kingdoms  of  Great  Britain  and  of  Spain  had  tormented 
and  insulted  each  other  with  a  view  of  hastening  war, 
and  it  seems  that  when  the  American  colonies  threw 
off  the  yoke  of  government  by  the  crown,  Spain,  while 
inwardly  rejoicing  at  the  trouble  England  was  having 
on  her  hands,  was  too  jealous  of  her  own  Western 
possibilities  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  struggling 
colonists.  She  hated  England  and  everything  that 
was  English,  and  merely  looked  upon  the  contest  be 
tween  oppressor  and  oppressed  with  an  inward  satis 
faction  she  dared  not  express. 

The  first  treaty  ever  entered  into  between  the 
United  States  and  Spain  was  ratified  during  the  first 
administration  of  American  government  in  1795,  at 
the  time  Thomas  Jefferson  was  secretary  of  state.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  at  that  time  the  Spanish 
government  had  important  colonial  possessions  in  the 
southern  part  of  what  is  now  the  United  States,  and 
as  trouble  between  these  colonies  and  the  United 
States  seemed  to  be  never  ceasing,  it  was  deemed  best 
to  secure  as  much  of  these  possessions  as  possible.  Ac- 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     X.     G.  09 

cordingly,  Spain  ceded  the  territory  of  Florida  to  this 
country.  This  had  a  tendency  to  ease  the  relations 
between  the  two  countries  and  everything  passed  oif 
quietly  until  1848,  when  an  invasion  of  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico  was  contemplated  by  Mexico  and  Colom 
bia.  As  intervention  on  behalf  of  these  islands  at 
that  time  would  have  been  a  blow  to  slavery  as  it 
then  existed  in  the  United  States,  nothing  was  done  by 
the  American  government.  Prominent  statesmen 
and  the  country  in  general,  however,  constantly  cast 
wistful  glances  toward  the  wealthy  island  of  Cuba, 
and  a  few  years  later  an  attempt  was  made  to  secure 
possession  of  Cuba  by  purchase  and  even  the  snug 
sum  of  $100,000,000  was  offered  the  Spanish  gov 
ernment  for  her  equity  in  Cuba,  but  every  effort  at 
purchase  proved  futile.  This  attempt  at  purchase  was 
made  in  good  faith  by  both  parties  and  was  carried  on 
very  peaceably,  but  there  was  a  party  in  the  United 
States  which  was  rather  unwisely  anxious  to  see  Cuba 
pass  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States  and  an  effort 
was  made  to  secure  the  island  by  force. 

Accordingly  the  filibustering  expedition  of  1851 
was  organized  and  started  to  Cuba  under  the  com 
mand  of  Lopez,  but  the  result  was  rather  disastrous 
and  many  brave  American  boys  lost  their  lives.  The 
United  States  of  course  disavowed  this  action  on  the 
part  of  some  of  her  citizens,  and  then  it  became  the 
Spaniards'  turn  to  offend.  This  she  did  in  1854  when 
the  "Black  Warrior,"  an  American  vessel,  was  seized 
in  the  harbor  of  Havana,  and  war  was  again  threat 
ened.  The  slavery  question  aarain  had  a  tendency  to 


70  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O. 

repress  any  undue  enthusiasm,  and  the  matter  was 
peaceably  adjusted. 

Another  period  of  good  feeling  between  the  two 
countries  then  began  and  existed  for  nearly  twentv 
years  to  be  again  broken  by  Spain  during  the  much- 
talked  of  "Ten  Years'  War/'  when  Cuba  had  made  an 
effort  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  Spanish  oppression  and 
for  ten  long  years  struggled  for  her  liberty.  It  was 
during  the  fifth  year  of  this  war  that  Spanish  vessels 
captured  the  American  "Virginius"  and  towed  her  to 
Santiago,  where  nearly  a  score  of  the  men  and  officers 
of  the  American  ship  were  rather  irregularly  executed. 
Trouble  again  seemed  imminent,  but  it  developed  that 
the  register  of  the  "Virginius"  was  a  "fake"  and  settle 
ment  was  arranged  by  the  Spanish  government  agree 
ing  to  pay  an  indemnity  to  the  relatives  of  those  sea 
men  whose  lives  had  been  taken.  The  Cubans  in  this 
war,  which  lasted  from  1868  to  1878,  had  many  sym 
pathizers  in  this  country,  but  public  opinion  at  no 
time  seemed  to  reach  alarming  proportions. 

This  had  been  an  expensive  war,  and  when  the 
island  had  been  completely  subdued,  as  the  Spaniards 
thought,  it  was  decided  that  the  Cubans  themselves 
should  pay  the  whole  expense  of  the  war.  Unreason 
able  as  this  was,  Cuba  was  helpless;  but  the  increased 
burden  was  a  breath  in  the  smoldering  ruins  of  Cuban 
patriotism,  and  in  1895  another  insurrection  was  be 
gun.  The  "Ten  Years'  War"  had  not  been  barren 
of  results  even  if  the  Cubans  had  been  defeated.  They 
had  learned  much  of  the  art  of  war,  and  during  the 
interval  preceding  the  insurrection  of  1895  an  or- 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O.  71 

ganization  almost  perfect  was  effected.  Local  leaders 
acted  quietly  but  effectively,  and  the  Junta  took  the 
responsibility  of  perfecting  all  plans. 

The  result  "of  combined  efforts  was  that  at  the 
beginning  of  the  insurrection  in  1895,  General  An 
tonio  Maceo  was  ready  to  take  the  lead  and  a  vigorous 
campaign  was  at  once  begun.  Captain  General 
Campos  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  strong  Spanish 
force,  but  they  were  no  better  organized  and  little  bet 
ter  handled  than  the  insurgents,  and  as  all  military 
operation  was  that  of  guerilla  warfare,  General 
Campos  and  the  king's  troops  did  very  little  indeed 
toward  squelching  the  rebellion. 

The  financial  condition  of  Spain  was  by  no  means 
encouraging,  but  being  naturally  one  of  the  proudest 
nations  of  the  globe,  she  put  forth  every  effort  to  put 
an  end  to  the  insurrection  in  her  western  colony.  The 
Cubans  were  practically  without  funds  and  without  a 
government  which  any  government,  though  willing, 
could  recognize.  The  dusky  patriots  made  every  pos 
sible  sacrifice  for  the  common  cause,  and  with  what  as 
sistance  they  could  receive  from  private  individuals 
in  the  United  States  and  other  countries,  they  man 
aged  to  carry  on  a  warfare  which  was  anxiously 
watched  by  all  the  civilized  world.  The  daily  press 
in  Europe  and  America  made  dilligent  records  of 
every  step  made  by  either  side,  and  millions  of  inter 
ested  readers  watched  for  the  accounts  of  the  brilliant 
dashes  and  patient  marches  made  by  the  Cuban  leader 
and  his  scattered  bands. 

The  Spanish  leaders  made  every  effort  within 
their  power  to  tone  down  thesr  accounts  and  to  send 


72  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

out  conflicting  reports  to  the  press  of  their  own  coun 
try.  This  effort  was  made  for  the  two-fold  purpose 
of  arresting  sympathy  for  the  Cubans  in  the  United 
States  and  Europe  and  to  deceive  the  taxpaying  public 
of  their  own  country  as  to  the  exact  condition  of  af 
fairs  in  the  incorrigible  colony.  Keports  were  sent 
out  one  day  that  the  gallant  Maceo  had  been  killed 
and  the  next  day  the  report  was  denied.  This  was 
kept  up  until  the  reading  public  was  in  great  fear  for 
the  safety  of  the  general,  but  to  their  great  regret  it 
was  finally  definitely  learned  that  the  brave  leader 
had  been  killed  in  December  of  1896.  It  has  since 
been  definitely  learned  also  that  he  was  shot 
and  that  he  died  as  a  soldier,  but  some  reports 
at  the  time  said  that  he  had  been  stabbed  by 
members  of  his  own  command.  He  was  succeeded 
soon  afterward  by  General  Gomez  and  the  war  con 
tinued.  While  the  loss  of  Maceo  was  a  severe  blow  to 
the  Cubans,  they  were  none  the  less  discouraged  and 
persisted  in  their  resistance  to  the  rule  of  the  Cas- 
tilian  crown. 

The  government  at  Madrid  finding  that  Campos 
was  making  little  if  any  headway  in  crushing  the 
Cubans,  sent  General  Weyler  to  relieve  him.  The 
Cubans,  who  had  heard  of  General  Weyler,  shuddered 
at  the  thought  of  having  to  oppose  him,  but  they  soon 
had  better  reason  to  shudder  at  the  mere  mention  of 
his  name.  So  cruel  and  so  unmilitary  were  the  opera 
tions  of  the  Spanish  army  that  its  leader  became  gen 
erally  known  as  "Butcher"  Weyler.  The  method  of 
warfare  was  absolutely  criminal  and  the  "execution" 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  73 

of  his  army  nothing  short  of  murder.  At  least  it  ifi 
hardly  considered  by  civilized  nations  within  the  rights 
of  an  army  to  slay  helpless  women  and  innocent  chil 
dren  and  to  commit  the  outrages  that  reflect  even  on 
the  character  of  the  men  composing  a  nation's  soldiery, 
yet  these  methods  were  constantly  pursued  by  Weyler, 
and  these  crimes  were  committed  in  the  name  of  the 
Spanish  government. 

Finding  that  he  was  accomplishing  nothing,  but 
on  the  contrary  that  he  was  constantly  loosing 
ground,  General  Weyler  decided  to  resort  to  "ex 
treme"  measures.  His  own  troops  were  poorly  fed 
and  while  those  in  the  Cuban  army  could  not  possibly 
leave  the  camp  for  the  field,  he  knew  that  the  peasantry 
must  be  furnishing  them  with  subsistence.  He  also 
learned  that  his  own  soldiers  were  giving  in  exchange 
for  sweet  potatoes  and  cured  meats,  cartridges  and 
other  military  supplies  which  were  carried  directly  to 
the  insurgent  army.  Realizing  that  he  could  do  noth 
ing  under  these  circumstances  he  decided  that  instead 
of  feeding  his  own  men  and  maintaining  discipline  in 
his  own  ranks  that  he  would  further  punish  the  rebels. 
He  therefore  published  in  October,  1896,  his  famous 
"bando,"  an  order  by  which  all  the  peasantry  of  the 
island  was  gathered  into  the  large  cities  and  placed 
under  guard  as  "reconcentrados,"  to  prevent  them 
from  operating  the  plantations.  This,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  created  an  indescribable  suffering,  but  in  his 
obstinacy  and  cruelty  he  imagined  that  he  had  struck 
a  sprioTis  blow  at  the  rebellion.  In  fact  he  had  only 
augmented  the  hatred  of  the  Cubans  for  Spain  and  had 


74  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G. 

enlivened  the  sympathy  that  had  already  existed  for 
the  struggling  patriots. 

After  a  vigorous  campaign  in  which  absolutely 
nothing  had  been  accomplished  by  Spanish  arms, 
Weyler  was  recalled  to  be  succeeded  by  General 
Blanco,  who  proceeded  much  after  the  fashion  of  his 
cruel  and  unsuccessful  predecessor. 

Blanco  was  instructed  by  his  government,  after 
they  saw  that  it  was  impossible  to  defeat  them  by  force 
of  arms,  to  offer  the  Cubans  a  government  of  Au 
tonomy.  But  having  suffered  too  much  already  from 
Spanish  deceit,  the  proposed  compromise  was  scorn 
fully  rejected  and  the  Spanish  officer  who  conveyed 
the  offer  of  General  Blanco  was  killed. 

While  all  these  things  were  going  on  in  Cuba  the 
people  of  the  United  States  were  doing  all  they  could 
consistently  to  aid  the  insurgents.  Funds  were  se 
cretly  subscribed  and  sent  over  in  many  mysterious 
ways,  and  so  intense  and  so  general  was  the  feeling  in 
America  that  even  the  governors  of  states  were  known 
to  subscribe  large  funds  to  be  sent  to  Cuba  in  such 
ways  that  the  act  would  not  become  generally  known. 
The  Junta  also  did  good  work,  organizing  societies 
all  over  the  country  and  agitating  a  spirit  of  interven 
tion  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  by  recognizing 
Ottba  as  a  republic  of  itself.  Enthusiasm  ran  high, 
and  when  it  was  finally  arranged  by  a  sort  of  tacit 
agreement  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  could, 
through  their  consuls  in  Cuba,  send  provisions  and 
money,  the  laborer  and  the  capitalist  united  their 
offerings  and  liberal  donations  were  sent  not  only  to 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O.  75 

the  "reconcentrados,"  but  as  well  to  those  who  were 
known  to  be  fighting  in  the  Cuban  army.  Later  on 
United  States  vessels  openly  carried  these  supplies 
and  United  States  consuls  aided  in  their  distribution. 
These  acts  of  sympathy  as  a  matter  of  course 
created  no  little  indignation  in  Spain  and  in  Spanish 
countries.  England  looked  on  the  struggle  in  Cuba 
much  as  did  the  United  States,  but  as  her  interests 
were  not  at  stake  nearly  so  much  as  our  own,  very  little 
if  anything  was  done  in  that  country  to  aid  the  Cubans 
except  to  show  in  a  quiet  way  that  her  sympathies  were 
with  them.  This  may  be  accounted  for  in  the  fact 
mentioned  before  that  the  interests  of  Spain  and 
of  England  have  been  for  centuries  arrayed  against 
each  other.  England  was  in  this  case  "getting  even" 
for  the  attitude  of  Spain  at  the  time  her  own  western 
colonies  were  in  open  and  armed  rebellion.  It  might 
be  stated  in  this  connection  that  in  the  contest  between 
Spain  and  the  United  States,  England,  although  she 
announced  and  maintained  a  neutrality  in  the  real 
sense  of  the  word,  showed  in  many  ways  a  remarkable 
friendliness  for  the  United  States.  It  was  a  strange 
coincidence  that  nearly  every  report,  and  many  there 
were,  that  touched  on  the  likelihood  of  a  European 
power  entering  into  an  alliance  with  Spain,  was  sup 
plemented  by  another  to  the  effect  that  Great  Britain 
had  made  overtures  or  was  considering  a  plan  to  enter 
into  an  alliance  with  the  United  States.  Indeed  it  is 
still  thought  by  many  that  the  attitude  of  Great 
Britain  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  carrying  on  of 


76  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     N.     G. 

the  war,  as  the  other  European  powers  were  supposed 
to  be  afraid  of  the  strong  alliance  this  would  have 
made. 

In  January,  1898,  the  American  consul  at  Ha 
vana,  General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  of  Virginia,  reported 
that  the  situation  was  becoming  serious.  There  were 
riots  in  the  Cuban  capital  and  American  life  and  prop 
erty  had  become  endangered.  A  delegation  directly 
representing  the  American  government  had  visited 
the  seat  of  war  and  had  reported  that  the  pictures  of 
cruelty  and  the  consequent  suffering  reported  in  the 
daily  papers  had  not  by  any  means  been  exaggerated. 
Indeed  they  said  the  condition  of  affairs  on  the  island 
was  absolutely  beyond  description.  Something  had 
to  be  done  in  the  name  of  humanity,  and  it  was  plain 
that  public  sentiment  could  not  be  restrained  much 
longer.  War  with  Spain  was  talked  of  on  every  hand 
and  each  dav  it  became  more  evident  that  war  was 
inevitable. 

When  the  seriousness  of  affairs  was  assured  by  the 
report  of  General  Lee,  the  government  authorities 
acted  promptly  and  the  North  Atlantic  squadron  was 
ordered  together  at  Dry  Tortugas,  a,  distance  of  six 
hours'  sail  to  Havana.  Had  the  life  or  property  of 
American  citizens  been  jeopardized  at  any  time,  Uncle 
Sam's  war  dogs  could  have  furnished  protection  in 
very  short  order. 

On  January  25  the  "Maine,"  in  command  of 
Captain  Sigsbee,  entered  the  harbor  of  Havana.  Her 
arrival  had  been  announced  and  she  was  assigned  by 
the  Spanish  port  officials  to  position.  The  officers  of 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     A.     U.  77 

the  "Maine"  were  given  a  reception  on  shore  and  every 
one  seemed  to  be  pleased  that  the  vessel  had  come. 
It  should  be  stated  here  also  that  the  presence  of  the 
"Maine"  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  situa 
tion  as  to  peace  or  war,  as  the  visit  was  a  friendly  one 
and  was  so  regarded  by  the  Spanish  officials  both  at 
Havana  and  at  Madrid. 

Senor  De  Lome,  the  representative  of  the  Spanish 
government  at  Washington,  about  this  time  committed 
a  grave  offense  by  rather  vigorously  criticising  the 
people  of  the  United  States  in  general  and  the  presi 
dent  in  particular  for  the  attitude  taken  toward  his 
government  and  her  interests  in  a  letter  which  was 
afterwards  published.  As  soon  as  the  contents  be 
came  known,  Minister  De  Lome  was  told  in  so  many 
words  that  he  would  have  to  "git"  and  he  "got."  The 
letter  was  published  on  February  9  and  in  a  few  days 
afterward  Spanish  affairs  were  in  the  hands  of  a 
"charge  d'affaires,"  and  remained  so  until  March  12, 
when  Senor  Polo  y  Barnabe  arrived  to  succeed  De 
Lome. 

On  the  morning  of  February  15  the  daily  press 
came  out  with  the  most  startling  bit  of  information 
that  had  been  published  at  any  time  since  the  great 
Civil  War  had  closed.  The  "Maine,"  one  of  the  most 
valuable  vessels  in  the  United  States  navy,  had  been 
blown  to  atoms  the  night  before  while  lying  at  anchor 
in  the  position  to  which  she  had  been  assigned  by 
Spanish  port  officials  at  Havana,  a  few  weeks  before. 
Xot  only  was  the  great  vessel  totally  destroyed,  but 
two  hundred  and  fifty-one  American  seamen  lost  their 


78  TEE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O. 

lives  and  ninety-nine  others  were  injured.  The  whole 
country  was  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  it  was  no 
longer  a  question  of  "war  or  no  war/7  but  "when  will 
it  come?"  Considering  the  feeling  the  people  of 
the  two  nations  had  had  for  each  other  no  one  doubted 
but  that  the  explosion  was  a  result  of  Spanish  treach 
ery  and  the  Spanish  were  accused  on  every  hand  of 
having  purposely  piloted  the  "Maine"  to  a  position 
over  a  submarine  mine.  On  the  17th  a  commission  of 
four  prominent  naval  officers  were  appointed  by  the 
president  to  investigate  the  explosion  and  the  causes, 
and  they  at  once  took  up  the  work.  On  the  following 
day  the  "Viscaya,"  a  formidable  Spanish  war  vessel, 
made  her  appearance,  also  on  a  friendly  visit,  in  the 
harbor  of  JSTew  York. 

It  was  feared  by  many  that  some  over  indignant 
American  would  seek  revenge  for  the  loss  of  the 
"Maine"  and  commit  some  rash  act,  but  the  "Viscaya" 
was  not  molested  in  any  way  during  her  stay  in 
American  waters.  On  the  day  following  the  arrival 
of  the  "Viscaya"  the  Spanish  government  asked  that 
the  investigation  of  the  "Maine"  affair  be  carried  on 
by  a  commission  made  up  of  representatives  of  both 
governments,  but  the  proposition  was  not  favorably 
considered. 

While  the  investigation  was  being  carried  on 
there  was  a  general  clamor  for  war  among  the  masses. 
Cooler  heads  advised  more  deliberation  and  the  presi 
dent  asked  that  public  opinion  be  suspended  until  the 
report  of  the  examining  board  should  be  filed.  It  now 
became  an  absolute  certainty  that  if  the  examiners 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  79 

found  that  the  explosion  of  the  "Maine"  had  been 
clearly  an  act  of  Spanish  treachery,  war  could  not 
possibly  be  averted.  Preparations  for  the  inevitable 
were  instituted  and  the  homes  of  the  army  and  navy 
departments  changed  from  the  usual  scene  of  quiet  and 
serenity  they  had  presented  for  the  last  thirty  years 
to  scenes  of  busy  activity. 

While  the  country  was  awaiting  with  almost 
breathless  suspense  the  action  and  report  of  the  board 
of  naval  examiners,  congress,  on  March  8,  appropriated 
$50,000,000  to  be  used  for  purposes  of  defense,  and 
of  course,  if  necessary,  for  carrying  on  the  war  which 
was  rapidly  forcing  itself.  On  the  next  day  this  ac 
tion  was  concurred  in  by  the  senate  and  preparations 
were  more  vigorously  pursued.  On  March  21  the 
naval  examiners  finished  their  labors  and  completed 
their  report,  which  was  first  reviewed  by  the  presi 
dent  and  his  cabinet,  and  on  March  28  presented  to 
congress.  On  April  1st  congress  passed  the  Naval 
Appropriations  bill  and  the  condition  of  the  country- 
soon  presented  a  more  war-like  aspect.  On  the  20th 
of  the  same  month  an  ultimatum  was  cabled  to  Spain, 
announcing  that  the  patience  of  the  United  States  had 
been  too  severely  tested  and  that  Spain  would  have  to 
relinquish  her  claims  on  Cuba  or  fight.  Three  days 
were  given  the  Spanish  for  a  reply  and  it  was  under 
stood  that  if  at  noon  on  the  23rd  Spain  continued  to 
push  her  campaign  in  Cuba,  war  would  be  formally 
declared.  When  the  ultimatum  reached  Spain  the 
United  States  minister  to  that  country,  General 
'Woodford,  was  informed  by  Spain  that  diplomatic 


80  THE     FOURTEENTH,     O.     X.     G. 

relations  with  the  United  States  had  ceased  and  he 
was  given  his  pass  ports.  General  Woodford  left  his 
papers  and  business  with  the  British  minister  and  left 
for  France  at  once. 

On  April  23  the  president  issued  the  following 
appeal  for  volunteers : 

A  PROCLAMATION. 

"Whereas,  By  a  joint  resolution  of  congress,  ap 
proved  on  the  20th  day  of  April,  1898,  entitled,  'Joint 
Resolution  for  the  Independence  of  the  People  of 
Cuba/  demanding  that  the  government  of  Spain  re 
linquish  its  authority  and  government  in  the  island  of 
Cuba,  and  withdraw  its  land  and  naval  forces  from 
Cuba  and  Cuban  waters,  and  directing  the  president  of 
the  United  States  to  use  the  land  and  naval  forces  of  the 
United  States  to  carry  this  resolution  into  effect;  and 

"Whereas,  By  an  act  of  congress  entitled  'An  Act 
to  Provide  for  Temporarily  Increasing  the  Military 
Establishment  of  the  United  States  in  Time  of  War 
and  for  Other  Purposes,'  approved  April  22,  1898, 
the  president  is  authorized,  in  order  to  raise  a  volun 
teer  army,  to  issue  this  proclamation  calling  for  volun 
teers  to  serve  in  the  army  of  the  United  States: 

"!N"ow  therefore  I,  William  McKinley,  president 
of  the  United  States,  by  virtue  of  power  vested  in  me 
by  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  and  deeming  suf 
ficient  occasion  to  exist,  have  thought  fit  to  call  forth 
volunteers  to  the  aggregate  number  of  125,000  in 
order  to  carry  into  effect  the  purpose  of  the  said  resolu 
tion;  the  same  to  be  apportioned  as  far  as  practicable. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     Q.  81 

among  the  several  states  and  territories  and  the  District 
of  Columbia,  according  to  population,  and  to  serve  for 
two  years  unless  sooner  discharged.  The  details  for 
this  object  will  be  immediately  communicated  to  the 
proper  authorities  through  the  War  Department. 

"In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my 
hand  and  caused  the  seal  of  the  United  States  to  be 
affixed. 

"Done  at  the  City  of  Washington  this  twenty- 
third  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1898,  and  of  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  United  States,  the  one  hundred  and 
twenty-second. 

"WILLIAM  M'KINLEY. 

"By  the  President: 

"JOHN  SHERMAN, 

"Secretary  of  State." 

On  the  same  day  there  was  presented  to  congress 
a  measure  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  for  carry 
ing  on  the  war.  On  the  next  day,  April  25,  the  presi 
dent  sent  a  message  to  congress  asking  that  a  declara 
tion  of  war  be  made  against  the  kingdom  of  Spain. 
Congress  promptly  took  the  action  recommended  and 
proclaimed  "that  war  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  de 
clared  to  exist,  and  that  war  has  existed  since  the  21st 
day  of  April,  1898,  including  said  day,  between  the 
United  States  of  America  and  the  Kingdom  of  Spain." 

ISTow  that  war  existed  and  was  an  established  fact, 
the  people  began  to  prepare  themselves  for  the  worst. 
The  armies  and  navies  of  both  nations  were  ready 
and  waiting  for  the  word  to  begin  the  struggle  and  only 
two  days  after  the  proclamation  had  been  made  the 


82  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     O. 

first  action  of  the  war  occurred,  on  April  27,  when 
several  American  gun  boats  fired  on  and  silenced  the 
forts  at  Matanzas  in  Cuba.  On  the  same  after 
noon  Commodore  Dewey  sailed  from  Mirs  Bay  to 
Manila.  He  was  not  heard  of  from  that  on  until 
May  1st,  when  he  had  entered  the  bay  of  Manila,  de 
stroyed  eleven  Spanish  vessels,  killed  700  men,  in 
cluding  two  commanders,  and  virtually  "captured  an 
empire,"  all  without  the  loss  of  a  man  or  ship  and 
sustaining  an  injury  of  but  six  men  wounded. 

The  news  of  the  great  victory  was  flashed  across 
the  globe  and  the  whole  world  began  to  sound  the 
praises  of  American  seamen.  They  had  already 
showed  that  the  foe  before  them  was  less  than  a 
handful. 

As  soon  as  the  proclamation  calling  for  volun 
teers  was  issued,  the  various  states  began  to  figure  on 
the  apportionment  they  would  receive,  each  state 
anxious  to  furnish  as  many  men  and  as  much  money 
as  would  be  needed. 

Ohio  came  to  the  front  in  her  effort  to  furnish 
soldiers  and  money  in  the  same  energetic  manner 
which  had  characterized  her  history  in  all  of  the  previ 
ous  wars.  The  general  assembly  was  in  session  at  the 
time  and  authority  was  at  once  issued  for  the  sale  of  a 
million  dollars  worth  of  bonds  to  be  used  for  war 
purposes.  The  quota  of  troops  apportioned  to  Ohio 
was  7752  on  the  first  call  and  3917  on  the  second,  but 
this  did  not  permit  the  enlistment  of  all  the  regiments, 
so  the  authorities  at  the  national  capital  were  induced 
to  increase  the  apportionment  to  about  1500  more. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     H.     G.  83 

This  included  one  regiment  of  cavalry,  one  of  artillery 
and  eight  regiments  and  one  battalion  (colored)  of 
infantry. 

Each  regiment  was  anxious  to  get  to  the  front 
first.  They  were  also  very  anxious  to  preserve  their 
National  Guard  organizations  in  the  volunteer  service. 
Their  experiences  in  other  services  had  learned  them 
that  their  officers  were  able  to  take  full  control,  and 
if  they  were  to  engage  in  any  active  services,  as  all 
firmly  believed  they  would  be,  they  wanted  to  be  led 
to  victory  by  the  same  officers  who  had  commanded 
them  in  their  previous  drills  and  tours  of  duty. 

The  officers  of  the  regiment  met  at  the  Columbus 
Auditorium  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  though  the 
regiment  would  have  to  go  intact  or  stay  at  home,  but 
it  was  finally  agreed  that  they  offer  their  services  to  be 
accepted  in  just  such  shape  as  the  government  saw  fit 
to  use  them.  The  War  Department  agreed  to  take 
the  regiments  as  they  were  then  organized,  and  accord 
ingly  the  companies  began  to  get  ready  for  the  call. 

The  regiment  was  not  quite  full,  but  recruits  were 
soon  enlisted,  one  whole  company  (F)  having  been 
enlisted  and  organized  in  a  few  days  by  Captain 
Harry  M.  Taylor,  who  afterwards  became  one  of  the 
assistant  surgeons  of  the  regiment,  The  companies 
of  the  regiment  were  stationed  as  follows:  A,  B,  C 
and  F  at  Columbus;  D  at  Marysville;  E  at  Washington 
Court  House;  G  at  Marion;  H  at  Portsmouth;  I  at 
Lancaster;  K  at  Delaware;  L  at  Mt.  Yernon;  M  at 
Circleville.  These  companies  were  ordered  to  assem 
ble  at  the  Armory  at  Columbus,  which  they  did  as 
soon  as  practicable. 


84  THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     Q. 

The  Columbus  companies  assembled  on  Monday, 
April  24,  and  the  next  day  the  other  companies  came 
under  arms  and  ready  to  go  to  any  part  of  the  world 
if  necessary.  The  Auditorium  at  Columbus  was  a 
splendid  place  for  the  accommodation  of  so  many  sol 
diers.  There  was  plenty  of  floor  space  for  the  men  to 
sleep  and  apartments  for  the  storing  and  distribution 
of  subsistence.  Goodale  park,  with  its  grass  plots  and 
shade  trees  was  an  excellent  parade  ground,  and  as  soon 
as  the  companies  arrived  all  the  routine  of  camp  life 
was  adopted.  Dress  parade  was  the  order  of  each 
evening  in  the  park,  and  throughout  all  the  day  the 
recruits  were  drilled  either  on  the  floor  of  the  Au 
ditorium  or  in  the  streets  and  the  park. 

This  part  of  the  city  soon  became  a  popular  re 
sort  for  all  Columbus.  Crowds  flocked  in  to  see  the 
boys  and  when  the  time  for  dress  parade  came,  the 
park  was  filled  with  visitors. 

At  the  same  time  the  Fourteenth  was  ordered  to 
assemble,  the  other  regiments  of  the  state  received 
similar  orders.  It  was  evident,  of  course,  that  the 
state  troops  would  have  to  be  together,  so  the  entire 
guard  was  ordered  to  mobilize  at  Columbus.  Other 
cities  came  forward  with  claims  for  the  honor  and  to 
offer  inducements  for  the  state  authorities  to  acknowl 
edge  their  claims,  but  this  was  no  time  to  distribute 
honors,  and  the  capital  being  the  most  centrally  lo 
cated  of  all  the  Ohio  cities,  was  at  once  selected. 

There  was  not  room  anywhere  in  the  city  to 
quarter  all  the  troops  in  houses,  so  it  became  necessary 
to  select  a  place  for  an  encampment.  After  con 
siderable  looking  around,  Bullit  park  was  chosen. 


THE     FOURTEENTH,     0.     N.     G.  85 

This  park  was  an  ideal  place  for  such  use,  cover 
ing  as  it  did  several  hundred  acres,  and  situated  near 
Alumn  creek,  which,  it  was  supposed,  would  furnish 
an  abunant  supply  of  water  for  cooking  and  bathing. 
This  proved  not  to  be  the  case,  however,  but  water 
was  soon  piped  from  the  city  water  mains  to  the  camp 
and  there  was  at  no  time  any  danger  of  a  water  f  anaine. 

The  signal  corps  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  was 
sent  out  to  the  grounds  and  the  park  was  divided  into 
regimental  camps.  Each  regiment  was  allotted  a  cer 
tain  space,  with  arrangements  for  regimental  and 
company  streets,  and  the  location  of  the  various  head 
quarters  was  also  marked.  The  whole  was  named 
"Gamp  Bushnell,"  in  honor  of  Hon.  Asa  S.  Bushnell, 
then  governor  of  the  state. 

Although  this  work  was  carried  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  it  could  not  be  finished  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  the  troops  before  the  28th.  In  the  meantime 
the  soldiers  at  the  Auditorium  were  becoming  tired. 
The  floor  was  dry,  but  it  was  a  hard  place  for  a  bed; 
the  town  was  very  convenient,  but  there  were  guards 
to  prevent  them  from  enjoying  any  of  the  advantages 
it  offered ;  the  park  was  a  pleasant  place,  but  they  were 
not  permitted  to  lie  in  the  shade  of  the  stately  trees 
or  to  pluck  the  buds  from  the  fragrant  plants.  It  was 
a  constant  drill  from  morning  to  night  and  the  men 
could  hardly  wait  for  the  time  to  leave  the  place. 
How  glad  they  were  to  return  to  the  Auditorium  and 
how  different  were  the  circumstances  surrounding 
their  return  will  be  seen  later  on. 


86  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 


THE  FOURTEENTH-FOURTH. 

The  March  to  Camp  Bushnell — Camp  Life — Changes  in 
Company  Organization — Drills  and  Parades — Growth  of 
the  Camp — Change  of  Name — Signal  Corps  Dropped — 
The  Regimental  Band — Bad  Weather — Rumors — Order 
to  Leave — Parting  Scenes — Camp  Bushnell  Left  Be 
hind — The  March  to  the  Depot — Scenes  Along  the 
March— At  the  Depot— Columbus  Left  Behind— Arrival 
at  Chattanooga. 

The  28th  of  April  was  hailed  with  delight  by 
every  man  in  the  regiment.  Life  in  the  Auditorium, 
while  it  was  by  no  means  an  uncomfortable  place  to 
live,  was  not  that  of  the  typical  soldier.  The  boys 
wanted  to  be  out  of  doors.  They  wanted  to  live  in 
tents,  to  sleep  on  the  ground,  and  in  fact  to  do  and  live 
as  soldiers.  They  did  not  want  to  play  soldier  in  any 
sense  of  the  word,  but  it  was  the  height  of  their  am 
bition  to  be  soldiers,  and  if  a  veritable  Valley  Forge 
were  necessary  to  the  change  they  were  perfectly 
willing  to  receive  it.  Anything  bearing  real  sem 
blance  to  active  military  existence  was  preferred  to 
sleeping  on  the  floor  of  the  Auditorium  or  turning 
out  for  dress  parade  in  the  adjoining  park. 

Finally  when  all  the  preliminaries  had  been  ar 
ranged  "assembly  "was  sounded  and  the  companies  were 
formed  in  the  spacious  hall.  As  soon  as  all  was  ready, 
they  were  each  marched  to  Park  street  and  the  regi 
ment  was  formed  for  the  march  to  camp.  There  was 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  87 

no  escort  and  no  attempt  at  parade  had  been  made 
either  by  those  in  the  regiment  or  by  the  citizens  of 
Columbus.  Even  the  daily  papers,  crowded  as  they 
were  with  telegraph  news  from  Washington  and  the 
seat  of  the  war,  said  little  of  the  trip  to  Bullit  park, 
but  the  streets  were  lined  with  enthusiastic  citizens 
who  crowded  out  to  see  the  boys  "go  to  war"  and  to 
cheer  them  on  the  way. 

The  old  regimental  band  started  the  boys  off  to 
the  tune  of  "Marching  Through  Georgia,"  and  the  line 
of  march  was  the  nearest  route  to  the  new  camp: 
From  Park  street  south  to  Goodale,  east  to  High  street, 
south  to  Broad  street  and  east  to  the  camp  on  the  north 
side  of  the  street  and  perhaps  a  half  mile  away 
from  it. 

The  position  assigned  to  the  regiment  was  at  the 
extreme  southwestern  corner  of  the  entire  camp. 
"When  the  Fourteenth  reached  the  ground  assigned  to 
it,  however,  there  was  no  camp  there.  None  of  the 
state  troops  had  yet  reported  and  no  tents  had  yet  been 
pitched  on  the  park.  The  day  was  warm  and  under 
the  rays  of  the  bright  spring  sun,  the  "soldierines"  as 
they  sometimes  called  themselves,  began  to  realize 
that  the  life  of  the  soldier  is  attended  with  some  labor. 
They  had  been  cheered  to  the  echo  all  along  the  line 
of  march,  but  that  did  not  keep  the  sun  from  burning 
their  soft  white  faces  nor  did  it  fan  their  sweated  brows, 
but  without  dinner  and  without  sympathy  they  car 
ried  tents  and  tent  floors  with  all  the  might  and  main 
of  veterans  and  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  what 
had  that  morning  been  a  vacant  field  gave  all  the  ap- 


88  THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

pearance  of  a  military  camp.  Supper  was  soon  pre 
pared  and  before  night  comfortable  quarters  had  been 
made  up  for  everybody  in  the  regiment. 

The  exertion  of  the  day  and  the  exhilarating  effect 
of  the  vernal  evening  had  a  tendency  to  induce  sleep, 
so  all  retired  early.  Not  without  first  liberally  patron 
izing  the  sutler  who  had  laid  in  a  large  supply  of  fresh 
pies  and  cakes  and  placed  them  on  sale  in  a  tent  on  the 
lot  adjoining  the  camp.  The  first  night  at  Camp 
Bushnell  was  more  fully  and  more  universally  enjoyed 
perhaps  than  any  other  night  in  the  six  months  in 
which  the  regiment  was  in  the  field. 

The  Fourteenth  was  not  long  to  be  the  only  regi 
ment  at  the  camp.  Soon  the  regiments  from  different 
parts  of  the  state  began  to  come  in  and  within  a  few 
days  two  brigades  had  been  fully  organized  with  Major 
General  Axline  in  command.  He  established  his 
headquarters  on  East  Broad  street  at  a  central  location 
as  to  the  general  camp.  Two  brigades  had  been  or 
ganized,  the  first  under  Colonel  Hunt,  of  the  First 
Regiment,  and  the  second  under  command  of  Colonel 
Coit,  of  the  Fourteenth.  Colonel  Coit's  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Adams,  who  had 
already  established  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
best  disciplinarians  in  the  state. 

Colonel  Adams  began  at  once  to  exert  his  in 
fluence  over  the  regiment  and  the  work  of  drilling 
was  begun  where  it  had  been  left  off  at  Goodale  park, 
but  it  was  begun  in  far  more  earnest.  Twice  each 
day  the  companies  were  taken  to  a  field  at  the  north 
side  of  the  camp  and  there  put  through  the  school  of 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  89 

the  soldier,  of  the  squad,  the  company  and  the  bat 
talion.  As  soon  as  the  recruits  had  learned  the  "right 
shoulder"  and  "fours  right,"  "extended  order"  drills 
were  begun  and  many  was  the  charge  that  was  made 
against  an  imaginary  foe  on  the  banks  of  now  historic 
Alum  Creek.  Parade  at  retreat  soon  made  the  camp 
a  popular  resort  not  only  to  those  who  had  friends  or 
relatives  at  the  camp,  but  to  all  Columbus.  On  the 
first  Sunday  the  camp  was  in  existence  the  railroads 
arranged  for  excursions  to  Columbus  and  all  day  the 
street  railway  leading  to  the  camp,  all  the  hacks,  om 
nibuses  and  even  transfer  wagons  were  busy  carrying 
visitors  to  and  from  the  camp.  The  newspapers  took 
a  great  interest  in  the  boys  and  established  branch  of 
fices  near  General  Axline's  headquarters.  This  in 
terest  kept  up  as  long  as  there  were  any  troops  at  the 
park. 

While  the  drills  were  going  on,  and  while  the 
men  improved  in  their  knowledge  of  military  tactics, 
other  changes  were  being  made.  Sergeants  and  cor 
porals  had  dropped  out  for  various  reasons,  others 
proved  incompetent  in  the  field  and  were  reduced  so 
that  every  private  in  the  regiment  who  had  any  am 
bition  to  become  great,  aspired  to  the  chevrons.  Many 
a  disappointment  was  suffered  during  those  hours  and 
many  a  good  "non-com"  received  his  chevrons. 

This  state  of  affairs  existed  for  twelve  days. 
During  that  time,  however,  the  boys  had  been  given 
an  idea  of  every  imaginable  kind  of  weather  known  to 
a  continental  climate  from  summer  to  winter,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  pouring  rains  which  made  the  camp  a 


90  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

veritable  pond  and  the  boys  who  existed  in  it  water 
soaked  heroes.  They  had  wanted  all  that  goes  with 
the  life  of  a  soldier  and  with  a  few  exceptions  they 
received  all  they  had  bargained  for.  All  that  was 
lacking  was  hardtack  and  the  presence  of  an  armed 
enemy. 

Within  a  week  after  the  regiment  had  taken  its 
position  in  Camp  Bushnell  Captain  Rockefellar,  of 
the  United  States  army,  had  arrived  to  muster  the 
militiamen  into  the  volunteer  service  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  decided  that  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
should  become  the  "Fourth"  in  the  federal  service,  the 
Sixteenth  the  "Sixth"  and  the  Seventeenth  the 
"Seventh."  The  First,  Second  and  Third  regiments 
were  mustered  and  then  came  the  Fourth  on  May 
ninth.  First  Colonel  Coit  and  his  staff  and  noncom 
missioned  staff  took  the  oath  which  made  them  volun 
teer  soldiers.  Then  the  twelve  companies  in  order  of 
the  rank  of  their  captains  marched  to  the  headquar 
ters  of  the  mustering  officer,  near  general  headquar 
ters  and  all  those  who  had  successfully  borne  the  phy 
sical  examination  required  by  the  government,  were 
sworn  in. 

As  has  been  stated  elsewhere,  it  had  been  de 
cided  that  the  regiment  would  be  received  into  the 
service  as  it  had  been  organized  in  the  National  Guard, 
but  trouble  arose  as  to  the  Hospital  and  Signal  corps. 
Lieutenant  Miller,  who  had  made  the  Signal  corps  al 
most  a  perfect  organization  of  its  kind,  was  not  mus 
tered  into  the  service  and  the  men  he  had  trained  so 
well,  although  they  were  telegraph  operators  and  civil 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.    I.  91 

engineers,  had  to  enlist  as  privates  in  the  various  com 
panies  or  remain  out  of  the  service.  Most  of  them 
chose  the  former  and  Lieutenant  Miller  was  afterwards 
given  a  commission  in  the  U.  S.  Volunteer  service. 
The  physicians,  one  major  surgeon  and  two  assistant 
surgeons,  Major  Seamans,  of  Delaware,  and  Captains 
Wright,  of  Circleville,  and  Taylor,  of  Columbus, 
were  mustered  in  but  no  provision  was  made  for  the 
Hospital  corps  as  it  had  existed  in  the  militia  service. 
The  greater  number  of  the  members,  however,  enlisted 
as  members  of  companies  under  the  promise  that  they 
would  be  detailed  to  the  hospital,  but  later  in  the  ser 
vice  they  were  detached  from  the  regiment  and  some 
of  them  did  not  return  to  the  regiment  until  long  after 
the  command  had  been  returned  to  the  United  States. 
Several  of  them  were  fortunate  in  this,  however,  as 
they  afterwards  received  the  rank  of  hospital  steward 
and  commissary  sergeant,  something  that  would  hardly 
hr.ve  happened  had  they  been  allowed  to  remain  with 
the  regiment,  from  the  fact  that  no  vacancies  occurred. 
3 lore  will  be  said  of  these  thoroughly  patriotic  and 
j  atient  young  men  later  on. 

In  the  struggle  for  recognition  as  an  organization 
the  band  came  in  for  its  share  of  trouble  also.  Many 
of  the  men  who  had  been  members  of  the  old  regi 
mental  band  in  the  National  Guard  felt  unable  to  leave 
their  families  and  other  interests  for  the  compensation 
offered  by  the  government  to  private  soldiers  and 
while  Bandmaster  Jesse  Worthington  and  Principal 
Musician  Charles  Rulo  had  been  mustered  into  the 
federal  service  as  members  of  the  noncommissioned 


92  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

staff,  no  special  provision  was  made  for  music  except 
the  two  trumpeters  allowed  to  each  company.  Many 
plans  were  discussed  and  many  were  the  offers  that 
were  made,  but  the  only  way  to  get  a  band  was  for  the 
musicians  of  the  old  band  to  enlist  as  privates  and  ef 
fect  the  musical  organization  afterwards.  It  was 
agreed  that  all  the  other  men  of  the  regiment  would 
pay  two  per  cent,  of  their  wages  to  the  band.  With 
the  exception  of  the  adjustment  of  a  few  complica 
tions,,  this  arrangement  continued  until  the  regiment 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 

This  state  of  living  in  an  alternate  state  of 
fear  and  hope  lasted  for  several  days  when  the 
peace  of  the  boys  began  to  be  perturbed  by  ru 
mors  of  orders  to  leave.  Dewey  had  given  the 
Dons  the  first  defeat  in  his  memorable  accomplish 
ment  at  Manila  and  everybody  was  singing  the  praise 
of  the  great  naval  commander  and  his  brave  jacktars. 
One  minute  it  would  be  thoroughly  understood  that 
the  regiment  would  go  at  once  to  Tampa,  Florida,  and 
there  embark  for  Cuba  and  then  plans  had  changed 
and  the  Ohio  troops  would  be  sent  to  Washington  to 
protect  the  capital  against  a  possible  attack  which  the 
Spaniards  were  said  to  be  contemplating.  The  next 
minute  some  one  would  get  from  a  "reliable  source" 
that  something  else  would  be  done  and  thus  between 
tormenting  the  guards  on  duty  around  the  camp  of 
the  Eighth  Regiment  and  hearing  of  "wars  and  rumors 
of  wars" — especially  the  rumors — the  men  lived  in  a 
state  of  anxiety  until  Saturday,  May  14,  when  Colonel 
Coit  received  definite  orders  to  report  at  Camp  George 


THE     FOURTH     O.      V.     L  93 

H.  Thomas,  at  C'hickamauga  Park,  Georgia,  about 
ten  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee. 

The  night  of  the  fourteenth  was  an  unusually 
bad  one.  The  rains  had  fallen  in  torrents,  the  com 
pany  streets  were  little  more  than  ditches  and  the 
tents  were  little  more  than  pools  of  water.  The  tent- 
age  had  seen  too  much  service  and  as  they  were  not  in 
tended  to  be  used  in  anything  but  fair  weather,  the 
boys  suffered  more  than  a  little  on  account  of  the  leaky 
canvas. 

Orders  for  the  night  were  merely  nominal  so  far 
as  the  passing  of  men  in  and  out  of  the  guard  lines  was 
concerned.  Passes  were  granted,  especially  to  the  Co 
lumbus  men  and  most  of  them  spent  their  last  night 
in  Ohio  as  they  thought,  and  which  indeed  was  to  some 
of  them,  with  their  families  at  home.  Those  from  the 
other  towns  were  granted  permission  to  go  to  their 
homes  in  cases  where  it  was  possible  to  return  to  camp 
before  the  time  set  for  moving  and  those  who  could 
not  get  away  were  made  as  comfortable  as  possible. 

The  morning  of  the  fifteenth  dawned  bright  and 
fair.  The  sun  broke  through  the  thick  clouds  and 
scattered  them  away  as  though  a  special  effort  were 
being  made  to  cheer  the  men  in  the  hour  of  parting 
with  friends  and  loved  ones.  The  camp  of  the  Fourth 
was  the  scene  of  hurry  and  bustle  everywhere.  Friends 
came  out  from  Columbus  and  from  the  other  cities  to 
see  the  boys  before  they  had  made  all  arrangements 
for  packing  and  to  take  a  final  handshake  before  the 
regiment  was  formed.  Baskets  and  boxes  filled  to 
their  utmost  with  the  good  things  of  life  were  carried 


94  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 

in,  but  in  many  cases  it  was  disposed  of  before  the 
tents  were  torn  down. 

Finally  the  order  came  to  get  ready  and  then 
there  was  a  flurry.  Officers  and  their  assistants,  the 
"non-coms,"  were  busy  giving  orders  and  the  men 
were  kept  on  the  run  obeying  them.  Details  were 
made  for  this  and  for  that  so  that  the  boys  had  not  a 
minute  which  they  could  safely  call  their  own.  The 
baggage  was  loaded  on  wagons  and  the  tents  were  torn 
down  and  in  less  time  than  is  required  to  read  this 
meager  account,  the  camp  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  was 
known  no  more  to  Camp  Bushnell. 

As  soon  as  everything  could  be  gotten  in  shape, 
"assembly"  was  sounded  and  the  regiment  was  formed 
on  the  ground  where  it  had  been  paraded  each  day 
when  the  weather  would  permit.  It  was  a  little  muddy, 
of  course,  but  the  sun  continued  to  shine  brightly  and 
little  inconvenience  was  suffered  by  anyone.  The 
Eighth  Ohio,  which  had  been  part  of  the  second  bri 
gade  under  Colonel  Coit,  acted  as  escort  as  far  as  the 
limits  of  the  camp  and  there  the  regiment  was  taken 
charge  of  by  all  the  military  and  civic  societies  of  the 
city  of  Columbus. 

A  mass  of  people  lined  the  route  of  march  from 
the  camp  along  Broad  and  High  streets  to  the  depot. 
Flags  and  bunting  stretched  over  the  streets,  banners 
strung  from  every  house  and  everything  took  on  a 
gala  appearance  in  honor  of  the  departure  for  the 
front  of  the  "pride  of  Central  Ohio."  Bands  of  music 
heralded  the  approach  of  the  Fourth  and  at  every 
point  along  the  line  of  march,  men  women  and  chil- 


TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  95 

dren  cheered,  shouted  and  wept  as  they  saw  the  boys 
marching  steadily  down  the  street,  no  one  knew  to 
where,  how  many  would  return  or  what  trials  would 
he  endured  before  any  of  the  faces  passing  before  them 
would  be  seen  again. 

It  was  the  greatest  day  the  city  of  Columbus 
had  ever  seen.  Whistles  all  over  the  city  screamed  out 
the  news  that  the  regiment  was  leaving;  bells  from 
the  churches,  shops  and  engine  houses  rang  out  their 
musical  peals  of  farewell;  cannon  boomed  their  sonor 
ous  but  significant  salutes,  but  all  this  turmoil  could 
not  suppress  the  sobs  that  persistently  rose  to  the 
breast  of  the  soldier  as  he  recognized  through  the 
mass  of  humanity  the  wife,  the  mother  or  the  sweet 
heart  he  was  leaving  behind,  perhaps  forever.  Strong 
men  wept  as  they  saw  their  sons  march  from  their 
sight,  living  sacrifices  to  a  noble  cause;  children  cried 
out  with  pain  as  they  saw  their  fathers  disappear  in 
the  distance,  going,  they  knew  not  where  or  why; 
mothers  hid  their  eyes  as  they  saw  the  pride  of  their 
lives  among  the  masses  marching  proudly  down  the 
street  with  a  musket  on  his  shoulder.  The  only  happy 
face  to  be  seen  anywhere  was  that  of  the  lisping  babe, 
too  tender  to  realize  the  awfulness  of  the  scene  being 
enacted  before  its  innocent  eyes. 

When  the  regiment  reached  the  Broad  Street 
Methodist  church,  the  voice  of  the  colonel  rang  out 
above  the  din  and  the  command  "halt"  was  repeated 
down  the  line.  The  noises  seemed  to  cease  for  the 
time  being  and  there  in  the  open  air,  beneath  the  rays 
of  the  bright  spring  sun,  Bishop  Joyce,  of  the  Metho- 


90  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 

dist  church,  asked  that  the  blessing  of  the  Heavenly 
Father  rest  upon  the  men  and  officers  of  the  regiment 
wherever  duty  called  them.  How  nearly  that  prayer 
was  answered,  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  following  pages 
to  relate. 

Governor  Bushnell  had  taken  place  on  the  box 
of  a  coupe  near  the  corner  of  Broad  and  High  streets 
to  review  the  regiment  as  it  passed  by.  Tears  rolled 
down  his  cheeks  as  he  saw  the  boys  pass  down  the 
street  to  go  out  to  represent  the  state  at  the  front,  and 
it  may  be  said  here  that  as  long  as  the  regiment  was 
out  of  the  limits  of  its  native  state  or  when  it  returned, 
flushed  with  victory,  it  had  no  better  friend  than  he 
who  stood  there  to  give  the  boys  a  sad  farewell. 

Finally  working  its  way  through  the  dense  crowd 
of  people,  the  regiment  arrived  at  the  depot  and  there 
boarded  a  train  divided  into  three  sections,  bound  for 
Ohickamauga  Park.  It  was  then  afternoon  and  sad  as 
the  parting  had  been  the  boys  were  glad  to  throw 
themselves  down  on  the  car  seats  to  rest.  They  had 
gone  without  dinner  and  the  boxes  which  loving  hands 
had  filled  with  good  things  to  eat  were  soon  opened 
only  to  see  the  contents  disappear  as  if  by  magic.  The 
train  soon  left,  however,  amid  the  same  patriotic  dem 
onstration  which  had  marked  the  march  through  the 
streets  of  the  city  and  when  the  view  of  the  capital 
faded  away  the  men  reluctantly  stretched  themselves 
out  on  the  soft  seats  to  give  up  their  thoughts  to  the 
scenes  they  had  just  witnessed  and  to  the  future. 

The  trip  through  the  picturesque  hills  of  Ken 
tucky  was  mostly  after  night,  but  the  morning  brought 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  97 

with  it  a  sight  of  historic  old  Lookout  mountain  and 
the  boys  breakfasted  within  the  city  limits  of  Chat 
tanooga,  Tennessee.  Considerable  time  was  spent 
here  before  the  trip  could  be  resumed,  but  before  noon 
all  was  arranged  and  the  regiment  was  soon  bounding 
across  the  hills  to  the  national  park. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


CAMP  GEORGE  H.  THOMAS. 

The  Ride  to  Chickamauga  Park — From  Lytle  to  the  Camp — 
Early  Experiences — The  Regiment  Assigned — Hard 
Tack  and  Bacon — A  Military  Training  School — Facts 
About  Lytle — Regimental  "Canteens" — Amusement — 
Facts  About  the  Camp — Some  of  Its  Advantages — Vis 
itors  from  Home  and  from  Abroad — Evening  Parades — 
Cakes,  Pies  and  Sweetmeats — Religious  Services — Re- 
connoitering  Expeditions — A  Sham  Battle — Setting  up 
and  Breaking  Camps — Sink  Details — Rumors  and  Or 
ders — Good  News  at  Last. 

There  was  but  one  railroad  leading  to  the  camp 
ing  place.  Trains  stopped  to  discharge  passengers  for 
the  park  at  a  small  station  called  Lytle.  There  was  a 
small  depot  and  two  dwellings  at  the  station  when  the 
regiment  arrived  there  and  the  only  business  houses 
were  a  grocery  where  the  postoffice  was  located  and 
several  frame  structures  where  enterprising  Chatta 
nooga  restauranteurs  had  started  branches.  The  gov 
ernment  had  constructed  a  board  platform  for  the 
unloading  of  horses  and  mules  and  near  the  platform 
was  the  government  coral  where  were  penned  hun 
dreds  of  the  longeared  "soldiers"  waiting  to  be  dis 
tributed  to  the  volunteer  regiments  which  soon  began 
to  mobilize  at  the  park.  The  corral  in  itself  was  a 
great  sight  as  well  as  the  surrounding  scenery,  where, 
nearly  half  a  century  before,  had  been  fought  one  of 
the  greatest  battles  in  history. 

As  soon  as  the  unloading  was  completed  the  reg 
iment  was  formed  and  marched  for  the  position  to  be 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  99 

i 

occupied  in  the  great  camp  which  was  daily  becoming 
greater.  Several  regiments  of  regular  troops  had  been 
encamped  there  before,  but  they  had  all  been  taken 
further  south.  There  were  several  regiments  of  vol 
unteer  troops  ahead  of  the  Fourth,  but  it  was  among 
the  very  first  to  reach  the  great  rendezvous. 

Marching  across  the  red  clay  hills  of  Chicka- 
mauga  field  the  regiment  presented  a  brilliant  sight. 
The  colors  spread  proudly  before  the  gentle  southern 
breeze,  the  band  played  the  same  stirring  tunes  to 
which  two  armies  had  marched  out  to  meet  each  other 
on  the  field  of  battle  long  years  before,  and  the  boys 
marched  away  with  the  steady  tread  that  becomes 
worthy  sons  of  noble  sires. 

Although  the  train  bearing  the  Ohio  troops 
reached  Lytle  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
spot  selected  for  camp  was  not  reached  until  late  in 
the  afternoon. 

The  camp  was  laid  out  in  due  form  and  by  the 
time  the  boys  had  prepared  their  future  homes,  it  was 
time  for  them  to  put  the  hastily  prepared  couches  to 
service.  There  were  no  folding  beds,  no  springs  and 
no  place  to  put  these  or  other  comforts  if  they  could 
have  been  secured.  The  boys  wrapped  themselves  up 
in  their  blankets  and  lay  down  on  the  bosom  of  mother 
earth  to  dream  of  home  and  loved  ones.  The  first 
night  was  greatly  enjoyed  even  if  the  lizards  did  in 
sist  on  intruding  upon  the  peace  of  the  tire-worn  sol 
dier.  It  was  not  long  before  the  boys  learned  that  the 
lizards  were  harmless  and  that  mosquito  bites  were  not 
dangerous. 


100  THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

The  next  morning  the  boys  learned  that  they 
were  a  part  of  the  second  brigade  of  the  first  division 
of  the  first  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Gulf,  the  military 
division  of  the  United  States,  of  which  General 
Brooke  had  been  commander  with  headquarters  at 
Atlanta.  It  was  but  a  few  days  until  the  rest  of  the 
second  brigade  came  in  and  took  position  on  either 
side  of  the  Fourth,  the  Third  Illinois  at  the  west  and 
the  Fourth  Pennsylvania  at  the  east.  These  three 
regiments  were  together  and  lived  as  peaceable  neigh 
bors  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

There  was  little  interest  to  the  camp  at  Chicka- 
mauga  Park  except  its  magnitude.  There  were  sol 
diers  there  from  almost  every  part  of  the  United 
States,  north,  south,  east  and  west.  There  was  no  di 
vision  as  to  the  existence  of  sympathies  in  former  wars 
— all  were  Americans. 

One  of  the  first  novelties  introduced  to  the  boys 
was  part  of  the  first  ration.  It  was  the  old  fashioned 
hardtack.  They  had  read  of  that  feature  of  military 
life  in  both  prose  and  verse.  They  had  heard  it 
praised  and  cursed,  lauded  to  the  skies  and  earned 
down  into  the  blackest  recesses  of  the  great  beyond, 
but  few  of  them  had  ever  "broken  bread  when  it  was 
hardtack."  Of  course  the  hardtack  did  not  come 
alone.  Troubles  never  do  come  singly,  and  when  the 
regular  old  fashioned  army  bacon,  "sow  belly/'  as  it 
was  called  by  the  majority  or  "pig  stomach/'  as  it 
was  known  by  the  less  vulgar  class,  came,  the  boys 
realized  that  their  troubles  had  actually  begun.  These 
two  evils  were  well  received  as  long  as  they  were  nov- 


THE     FOURTH     0.      V.     I.  101 

elties,  but  for  some  reason  not  explained  in  the  arm} 
regulations,  soldiers  become  tired  of  this  menu  if  it  is 
served  three  times  each  day  and  for  seven  days  in  each 
week. 

In  defense  of  hardtack  it  must  be  said,  however, 
that  for  troops  in  the  field,  it  is  the  best  possible  sub 
stitute  for  bread  that  could  be  secured.  It  can  be  eaten 
"raw"  or  just  as  it  comes  from  the  bakery,  it  can  be 
soaked  in  water  and  broiled,  it  can  be  broken  to  pieces 
and  moistened  in  coffee,  or  it  can  form  part  of  a  mess 
made  of  beans,  hardtack  and  other  things,  which, 
when  ready  to  serve,  bears  a  name,  that  when  applied 
by  one  person  to  another  precipitates  a  fight. 

This  was  the  only  kind  of  bread  that  could  be 
procured  for  a  while  but  the  government  soon  estab 
lished  a  mammoth  bakery  at  Lytle  and  fresh  bread 
was  served  to  all  of  the  regiments  each  day.  Potatoes, 
fresh  meat,  vegetables  and  sugar  came  from  the  com 
missary  department,  while  the  markets  of  Chattanooga 
and  vicinity  furnished  milk,  fruit  and  other  provisions. 

Camp  Thomas  was  designed  to  be  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  a  military  training  school  on  a  large 
basis.  The  men  were  drilled  from  morning  to  night. 
They  were  trained  in  the  manual  of  arms,  in  all  the 
evolutions  known  to  military  science,  and  they  were 
educated  in  the  performance  of  guard  duty.  In  fact, 
they  were  taught  all  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  typical 
American  soldier  to  know. 

"All  work  and  no  play  makes  Jack  a  dull  boy" 
was  applied  in  a  way  at  the  camp.  There  were  amuse 
ments  of  various  kinds,  and  to  a  limited  extent  the 


102  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     I. 

men  were  permitted  to  enjoy  them.  Lytle,  the  station 
at  the  railroad,  grew  in  a  phenomenally  short  period  of 
time  from  the  little  hamlet  described,  to  a  very  metro 
politan  but  temporary  little  city.  There  were  all  sorts 
of  business  enterprises  represented,  newspaper  branch 
offices,  telegraph  and  express  companies,  military  sup 
ply  stores,  photographers,  hotels  and  restaurants, 
gambling  dens  and  all  the  catch-penny  schemes  known 
to  the  fakir's  art.  In  the  midst  of  the  camp  a  theatre 
had  been  constructed  but  it  never  met  with  marked 
success.  The  greater  number  of  the  regiments  had 
"canteens"  or  restaurants,  the  profits  of  which  were 
set  apart  for  the  benefit  of  the  regiment  at  large.  In 
the  case  of  the  Fourth  Ohio,  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
of  canned  goods,  refreshments,  etc.,  were  used  to  pay 
the  obligation  offered  the  band  when  the  regiment  was 
at  Camp  Bushnell. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  forms  of  amusement 
was  the  collecting  of  relics  of  the  Civil  war.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  soldiers  of  General  Brooke 
were  not  the  first  to  occupy  positions  on  the  field  of 
Chickamauga,  but  that  those  hills  had  been  stained 
by  the  blood  of  one  of  the  most  terrible  battles  re 
corded  in  the  pages  of  history.  In  every  part  of  the 
park  could  be  picked  up  parts  of  rifles,  bayonets,  pieces 
of  shell,  bullets,  canon  balls,  swords,  ordnance  supplies 
of  all  kinds  and  even  human  bones.  The  trees  them 
selves  bore  evidence  of  the  fierce  struggle  between  the 
forces  of  the  north  and  the  south  and  the  rocks  and 
decayed  logs  gave  mute  testimony  of  the  terrible  trag 
edy  which  had  been  played  on  this  scene  less  than  a 
half  century  before. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  103 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  had 
been  on  this  very  field  and  to  them  the  work  of  time 
and  the  hand  of  man  was  unable  to  change  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  hills  and  the  surrounding  country. 
They  would  often  pick  out  the  positions  of  their  reg 
iments  in  the  great  battle  and  relate  the  experiences 
of  that  fight  to  their  younger  comrades,  partly  for 
their  amusement  and  instruction  and  partly  to  get 
them  familiar  with  the  scenes  and  duties  of  the  bat- 
t]efield. 

Chickamauga  Park  had  more  than  one  advan 
tage  over  almost  any  other  place  in  the  country  for 
such  a  camp.  There  was  not  only  a  good  water  supply, 
plenty  of  fresh  air,  parade  and  camp  grounds,  market 
facilities,  convenience  to  the  sea  board,  a  climate  prac 
tically  semi-tropical  at  that  season  of  the  year,  but  the 
very  position  of  the  park,  the  surrounding  country  and 
the  history  of  the  place  had  a  smack  of  war  which  was 
absolutely  wholesome  for  the  young  men  who  were 
training  for  the  battlefield. 

The  concentration  of  so  many  troops  and  the 
congregation  of  so  many  persons  had  a  marked  effect 
on  the  general  intellectual  welfare  of  the  soldiers,  for 
here  they  were  able  to  meet  and  exchange  ideas  on 
subjects  which  have  since  proved  valuable  to  them  as 
citizens  as  well  as  soldiers.  One  of  the  effects  of  this 
camp  on  the  soldiers  there  and  in  fact  of  the  war  and 
the  people  of  the  United  States  generally,  was  the  re 
moval  of  the  old  prejudices  of  the  Civil  War.  Stand 
ing  here  as  they  did,  shoulder  to  shoulder,  preparing 
to  fight  under  one  flag  and  for  one  country,  the  union 


104  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

of  men  from  every  part  of  the  country,  but  from  the 
two  great  sections  especially,  removed  more  perman 
ently  than  any  other  cause  could  have  done  the  ill- 
feeling  which  had  once  precipitated  a  long  and  bloody 
civil  war  and  which  had  ever  since  had  the  effect  of 
keeping  the  people  of  these  sections  at  more  than  a 
brotherly  distance  apart. 

The  camp  was  visited  by  the  friends  of  the  sol 
diers  there  and  by  foreign  soldiers  who  had  come  there 
to  study  American  ideas  of  warfare.  Even  China  had 
sent  one  of  her  brightest  intellectual  lights  to  learn 
something  of  the  art  of  war  from  the  young  but  sub 
stantial  America.  English,  German,  French  and 
Russian  experts  pronounced  the  camp  perfect  in  every 
particular  as  to  natural  appointments,  but  after  the 
camp  was  abandoned  many  defects  were  pointed  out 
as  to  the  general  management  of  the  camp. 

The  occasion  of  a  visit  from  friends  at  home  was 
the  source  of  great  pleasure  to  the  boys.  These  visits 
were  not  restricted  in  any  manner,  but  the  camp  was 
open  to  all  at  any  time.  Excursions  were  run  to  the 
park  from  almost  every  town  which  was  represented 
there  and  the  camp  was  usually  crowded  on  Sundays. 
The  people  of  Chattanooga  and  Atlanta  flocked  to  the 
park  in  the  evening  to  witness  the  evening  parades  and 
it  is  very  pleasing  indeed  to  note  that  the  Fourth  Ohio 
drew  as  much,  if  not  more,  attention  than  any  other 
regiment  on  the  field.  The  regiment  had  been  so  well 
drilled  and  so  thoroughly  disciplined  while  a  National 
Guard  organization  that  the  parade  ceremony  of  the 
regiment  was'as  nearly  perfect  as  it  was  possible  for  a 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  105 

single  body  of  men  to  make  it.  There  were  very  few 
occasions,  indeed,  when  the  Fourth  Ohio  did  not  en 
tertain  a  host  of  admirers  at  "retreat." 

One  of  the  disadvantages,  not  from  a  soldier's 
point  of  view,  however,  was  the  absence  of  the  things 
which  make  the  epicure  happy.  Mothers,  sisters  and 
sweethearts  did  all  they  could  to  gladden  the  hearts  of 
their  loved  ones  at  the  park,  but  their  efforts  in  this 
line  were  entirely  fruitless,  for  as  fast  as  the  express 
wagons  would  deliver  the  loads  of  boxes  of  pies,  cakes 
and  pastry,  the  regimental  surgeons  would  dump  it 
into  a  sink  dug  for  the  purpose.  The  practice  of  this 
apparent  "cruelty,"  hard  as  it  seemed  at  the  time  to 
the  boys,  was  the  means  of  not  only  preserving  the 
health  and  efficiency  of  the  regiment,  but  undoubtedly 
srved  lives.  Plain  bacon  and  beans  is  a  very  coarse 
diet  to  be  sure,  but  the  addition  of  desserts  promiscu 
ously  selected  is  not  conducive  to  the  best  results  of  a 
military  camp,  and  this  was  one  of  the  lessons  which 
the  Chickamauga  training  school  taught  its  pupils. 

There  were  many  attractions  at  Chattanooga  also, 
but  it  was  the  policy  of  the  higher  officials  to  discour 
age  trips  to  the  city  as  much  as  possible.  Military- 
regulations  are  so  fixed  that  when  an  officer  of  high 
rank  desires  the  men  in  his  command  to  do  a  certain 
thing,  that  thing  is  usually  done,  or  some  one  receives 
an  opportunity  to  explain  why  it  is  not  done.  The 
men  of  the  Fourth  soon  learned  this  and  at  no  time 
was  there  any  trouble  in  the  regiment  on  account  of 
the  disobedience  of  these  orders. 

Each  Sunday  was  made  the  day  it  should  have 
been.  A  branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  As- 


106  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     7. 

sociation  erected  a  canvas  tabernacle  at  which  services 
were  held  at  stated  times  during  the  week  and  also  on 
each  Sunday.  Some  of  the  most  noted  evangelists  in 
the  country  came  to  the  park  to  hold  religious  services 
and  they  were  the  means  of  accomplishing  much  good. 
Chaplain  Shindel  also  conducted  divine  services  each 
Sunday,  and  owing  to  the  efforts  of  Captain  Joseph  J. 
Walsh,  of  Company  A,  the  professors  of  the  Catholic 
faith  were  permitted  to  attend  services  in  Chatta 
nooga.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  moral  welfare 
of  the  soldiers  was  not  overlooked  by  the  officers  of  the 
regiment  or  by  the  public. 

As  soon  as  the  men  became  efficient  in  the  ordin 
ary  drills,  their  education  in  warfare  was  broadened  by 
long  marches.  The  regiment,  or  sometimes  only  bat 
talions  and  even  companies  were  formed  and  often 
started  out  on  various  sorts  of  expeditions.  At  one 
time  the  First  Battalion  was  given  sealed  orders  and  a 
day's  rations  and  told  to  pack  up  and  go  to  McFarland's 
gap  to  see  how  many  men  could  be  forced  through  it 
in  a  given  length  of  time  under  certain  circumstances. 
They  were  instructed  to  ascertain  the  best  route  to  the 
gap  and  also  other  routes,  and  it  was  made  a  part  of 
their  duty  to  make  a  topographical  map  of  the  country 
through  which  they  passed.  In  a  day  or  two  after  that 
the  Second  Battalion  was  started  in  a  different  direc 
tion  and  then  the  Third  Battalion  was  given  similar 
orders.  Companies  were  taken  out  to  be  drilled  in 
"extended  order/'  and  often  the  drill  was  "extended" 
to  the  furthermost  parts  of  the  park.  Many  an 
imaginary  foe  was  driven  from  its  position  by  a  terrific 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  107 

charge  up  Snodgrass  hill,  one  of  the  more  elevated 
points  of  the  park. 

On  several  occasions  the  whole  regiment  and  even 
the  whole  brigade  was  taken  out  on  such  expeditions. 
Two  divisions  once  formed  two  armies  to  oppose  each 
other  in  a  sham  battle.  The  men  were  given  pro 
visions  and  blank  cartridges  and  the  division  to  which 
the  Fourth  Ohio  belonged  was  started  out  to  find  the 
other  division  and  drive  it  from  its  position.  This  was 
fun  in  a  way,  but  the  battle  came  very  near  to  being 
more  than  a  mere  "sham." 

The  lines  of  battle  were  formed  much  as  they 
would  have  been  in  an  enemy's  country  and  started 
through  the  camp.  All  went  well  until  Captain 
White  and  his  company  (B)  started  to  pass  through  the 
camp  of  a  Pennsylvania  battery.  The  sentry  on  one 
of  the  posts  thought  that  he  should  not  permit  the 
grass  to  be  trampled  upon  promiscuously  in  his  camp 
and  he  promptly  ordered  Company  B  to  halt.  The 
company  had  not  made  a  reputation  for  halting  unless 
so  ordered  by  its  captain  and  the  boys  of  Company  B 
were  not  disposed  in  any  way  to  break  the  record  on 
this  occasion.  Consequently  they  did  not  halt  and  the 
Pennsylvanian  called  out  "the  guard."  The  guard 
responded  very  well  and  so  did  the  officer  of  the  guard, 
but  Captain  White  ordered  his  company  forward.  It 
seemed  for  a  moment  that  something  would  happen, 
and  even  as  it  was  Sergeant  Hunt  would  have  been 
thrust  with  an  artillery  sabre  had  it  not  been  for  the 
plate  buckle  on  his  belt.  While  this  was  going  on 
Colonel  Coit  came  up  and  put  the  officer  of  the  Penn- 


108  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

sylvania  guard  under  arrest  and  the  company  went  on, 
winning  the  first  blood  for  the  regiment  in  the  Spanish 
war. 

The  battle  must  have  been  very  interesting  to  the 
officers  who  occupied  a  cool  position  at  the  top  of  the 
hill,  where  they  could  see  all  the  operations,  but  it  was 
not  so  pleasant  for  the  fellows  who  had  to  move  from 
one  point  to  the  other  under  the  rays  of  the  boiling 
Georgia  sun.  The  enemy  was  duly  discovered  and 
fired  upon,  but  the  officers  in  charge  decided  the  battle 
in  favor  of  the  defense. 

The  funniest  part  of  the  whole  expedition  oc 
curred  after  the  battle  had  been  declared  off  and  the 
troops  started  back  to  camp.  The  general  and  his  staff 
were  completely  lost.  In  some  way  they  had  wan 
dered  out  in  the  bushes  to  "reconnoiter"  and  before 
they  were  aware  they  could  not  find  the  way  back  to 
the  line  of  march.  The  line  waited  some  time,  but  no 
officers  appearing,  Colonel  C'oit  assumed  command  of 
the  brigade  and  took  them  back  to  camp. 

One  of  the  lessons  in  the  art  of  war  which  was 
thought  to  be  among  the  more  valuable,  was  the  in 
struction  in  the  quickness  and  regularity  of  forming 
camp.  Companies  at  first  and  then  battalions  and  the 
regiment  was  taken  out  to  the  parade  ground  and  ex 
ercised  in  the  setting  up  of  shelter  tents.  By  the 
execution  of  given  orders  it  became  possible,  after  a 
few  days'  practice,  for  the  Fourth  Ohio  to  stop  from 
the  march,  stack  arms,  set  up  their  tents  and  arrange 
a  regular  camp  in  less  than  five  minutes.  Then  at 
the  sounding  of  the  "general,"  the  bugle  signal  for 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  109 

breaking  camp,  the  regiment  could  be  formed  and 
ready  for  marching  in  almost  as  remarkably  quick 
time. 

Had  the  regiment  engaged  in  the  long  campaign, 
which,  at  that  time  seemed  more  than  probable,  this 
drill  would  certainly  have  been  very  valuable,  but  as  it 
was,  shelter  tent  camps  were  only  pitched  at  Newport 
News  on  the  morning  of  arrival  there  and  near 
Guayama  on  the  evening  of  August  13.  On  neither 
occasion  was  there  any  particular  haste  required  and 
on  neither  occasion  did  every  man  of  the  command 
have  his  shelter  tent. 

No  one  who  lived  at  the  camp  will  ever  forget  the 
way  in  which  the  surface  of  Chickamauga  park  was 
disturbed  by  the  fatigue  details.  If  a  man  did  not 
respond  to  roll  call  without  an  excuse,  or  if  he  violated 
the  thousand  and  one  other  rules  of  camp,  he  was 
slated  for  a  fatigue  detail.  In  charge  of  a  non-com 
missioned  officer,  the  men  were  given  picks  and  shovels 
and  put  to  work  digging  sinks.  There  were  sinks 
from  four  to  seven  feet  deep  for  all  imaginable  pur 
poses  and  many  a  hard  day's  task  was  required  to  com 
plete  them. 

As  it  had  been  at  Camp  Bushnell  and  as  it  is  in 
all  military  camps,  there  were  all  sorts  of  rumors 
floated  at  all  times.  Strange  to  say,  the  further  from 
the  probable  truth  the  rumors  were,  the  more  believers 
they  had.  Many  of  these  rumors,  however,  were  well 
founded.  Headquarters  actually  furnished  material 
for  a  large  majority  of  them,  and  what  part  of  the  re 
mainder  the  newspapers  did  not  supply  the  fertile 


110  THE     FOURTH     0.      V.     1. 

brain  of  some  designing  soldier  did.  Orders  came  in 
one  day  to  prepare  to  move  on  the  next.  The  prepara 
tions  would  be  made  and  then  the  order  was  revoked, 
only  to  be  succeeded  by  another  order  within  a  day  or 
two.  It  was  at  one  time  intended  to  send  the  regiment 
to  Cuba,  and  shortly  before  the  first  expedition  was 
started  for  Cuba  the  strength  of  the  regiment  was  in 
creased  to  106  men  to  each  company.  Officers  were 
sent  back  to  Ohio  to  do  the  recruiting.  Battalion 
Adjutant  Harry  W.  Krumm  represented  the  first  bat 
talion,  Captain  W.  L.  Vincent  the  second  and  Major 
John  L.  Sellers  the  third.  Tho  recruits  had  not  been 
drilled  into  thorough  soldiers  when  orders  came  to 
drop  certain  of  them  in  order  to  reduce  the  strength 
of  the  regiment,  and  thus  it  went  until  the  expedition 
to  Cuba  had  left  and  Santiago  had  fallen. 

The  receipt  of  the  news  of  this  event  was  the  oc 
casion  of  great  demonstrations  in  Chickamauga  park. 
Headed  by  the  band  and  the  regimental  colors,  the 
officers  of  the  regiment  called  at  brigade  headquarters 
to  congratulate  General  Haines.  After  paying  their 
respects  to  the  general  they  proceeded  to  the  camp  of 
the  Fourth  Pennsylvania,  where  they  were  joined  by 
the  drum  corps  and  the  officers  and  men  of  that  regi 
ment  and  a  parade  was  formed  through  the  Fourth 
Ohio  camp  to  the  Third  Illinois.  Here  the  bands 
played,  the  men  cheered  and  each  of  the  three  colonels 
made  addresses.  After  all  had  quieted  down,  the 
men  went  to  their  tents  to  drown  their  sorrow  at  not 
being  able  to  help,  in  the  solitude  of  their  tents. 

After  the  fall  of  Santiago,  rumors  came  thick  and 
fast.  Orders  were  likewise  numerous,  but  the  plan 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  Ill 

of  issuing  and  immediately  revoking  orders  was  con 
tinued,  so  that  things  generally  were  in  a  very  un 
settled  condition  to  say  the  least.  Finally  an  order 
came  which  was  never  revoked.  This  order  directed 
the  Second  brigade  to  take  transportation  at  Rossville, 
a  small  station  between  Lytle  and  Chattanooga,  and 
from  there  proceed  through  Lexington,  Kentucky,  to 
Newport  News,  Virginia,  where  transportation  would 
be  in  waiting  to  take  the  regiment  to  Porto  Rico  under 
an  expedition  in  command  of  General  Brooke.  So 
many  orders  had  been  received  and  then  revoked  that 
the  men  did  not  really  believe  that  they  would  leave 
the  park  at  all,  hence  the  order  did  not  create  a  con 
siderable  stir.  Travel  rations,  of  which  more  will  be 
said  later  on,  were  issued  to  the  regiment  and  all  the 
baggage  packed  and  made  ready  to  be  transported. 
No  one  was  to  be  left  behind  on  this  expedition  and 
everybody  was  happy. 


112  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TO  NEWPORT  NEWS,  VIRGINIA. 

The  March  to  Rossville— To  Chattanooga— Delays— The 
Trip  Through  Kentucky — Receptions  Along  the  Line — 
Up  the  Alleghenies — Peep  at  Piedmont  Valley — "On  to 
Richmond" — At  Newport  News — A  "Pup  Tent"  Camp — 
Reception — Dynamite  Guns — Company  F  Becomes  a 
Battery — Changes  of  Officers — Delays  and  More  Ru 
mors — Transport  "St.  Paul" — Transferring  Baggage- 
Waiting  Orders — Off  to  Sea. 

On  the  morning  of  July  22,  the  camp  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  at  Chickamauga  park  ceased  to  exist. 
To  the  music  of  the  most  stirring  tunes  which  the 
band  could  play,  the  boys  bid  farewell  to  the  camp 
that  had  been  their  home  for  sixty-seven  days.  The 
road  over  which  the  march  was  made  to  Rossville  was 
probably  the  worst  that  the  most  of  the  men  had 
ever  seen.  The  dust  was  from  three  to  eight  inches 
deep  and  when  the  feet  of  the  men  struck  the  bottom, 
the  dust  raised  so  thick  that  it  was  utterly  impossible 
to  distinguish  persons  four  feet  away.  It  can  well  be 
imagined  that  the  men  suffered  terribly  under  these 
circumstances,  but  the  number  who  dropped  out  of 
ranks  was  very  small.  Considering  the  dust,  the  con 
dition  of  the  weather  and  the  rate  at  which  the  march 
was  started,  the  Fourth  Ohio  made  a  record  in  that 
march  of  which  they  may  well  feel  proud. 

Thev  reached  the  station  in  good  time,  but  it 
was  late  before  the  train  reached  Chattanooga  and 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  113 

even  then  the  delays  were  almost  innumerable,  so  that 
it  was  long  after  morning  of  the  next  day  when  the 
train  bearing  the  Fourth  reached  Lexington.  The 
route  thus  far  had  been  over  the  "  Queen  and  Orescent" 
line,  but  at  this  point  the  trains  were  transferred  to  the 
line  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio.  Quite  a  number 
of  Ohio  people  had  come  as  far  as  Lexington  to  take  a 
final  farewell  to  the  boys  they  loved  so  well,  and  when 
the  heavy-laden  trains  steamed  out  of  Camp  Bradley 
to  the  cheer  of  the  boys  of  the  Fourth  Kentucky  who 
were  camped  there,  many  were  the  eyes  that  were 
moistened  with  an  impulsive  tear  and  many  were  the 
misgivings  that  prevailed  within  an  heroic  breast. 

The  route  from  Lexington  covered  the  most  pic 
turesque  section  of  beautiful  Kentucky.  The  line  of 
the  railway  stretched  through  the  heart  of  the  blue- 
grass  region  and  then  plunged  into  the  heart  of  the 
massive  Kentucky  hills  as  though  the  fate  of  the  war 
itself  was  actually  in  the  hands  that  held  the  throttle. 
The  panarama  thus  stretched  before  the  view 
of  the  boys  who  were  going  forth  to  do  battle, 
certainly  did  a  great  part  in  teaching  them  what  a 
grand  and  beautiful  country  they  were  really  fighting 
for. 

At  Ashland  a  large  party  of  Portsmouth  people 
came  down  to  see  the  boys  of  Company  H.  They 
came  with  well-filled  baskets  and  the  soldiers  disposed 
of  them  in  regulation  military  style. 

An  amusing  circumstance  occurred  here  which 
served  the  people  of  Portsmouth  as  a  lesson  in  the  ap 
propriating  powers  of  the  soldier.  The  train  was  di- 


114  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     I. 

vided  into  three  sections,  one  battalion  to  each.  Com 
pany  H  being  part  of  the  second  battalion  was  there 
fore  aboard  the  second  section,  but  the  Portsmouth 
enthusiasts  had  not  been  apprised  of  that  fact.  Going 
up  to  the  first  section  a  pretty  Buckeye  maid  handed 
up  a  large  basket  to  one  of  the  boys  whose  head  hung 
out  of  the  car  window  and  sweetly  asked  him  to  give 
the  basket  to  amy  brother."  "Why  certainly,"  re 
plied  the  gallant  soldier,  and  reaching  down,  he  pulled 
into  the  car  one  of  the  handsomest  "layouts"  that  ever 
came  into  the  view  or  the  stomach  of  a  hungry  in 
fantryman.  Another  maid  had  a  cousin  for  whom  she 
had  a  basket  and  the  same  hard  hearted  rascal  agreed 
to  deliver  that  basket  also,  and  then  the  third  came 
from  a  blushing  lass  of  nineteen  who  simply  wished 
to  remember  aa  friend."  An  officer  happened  just 
then  to  see  what  was  going  on  and  the  game  was 
spoiled,  but  there  were  three  baskets  of  picnic  dinner 
divided  among  a  half  dozen  Fourth  Ohio  soldiers  be 
fore  the  train  had  left  Kentucky  soil,  and  that  officer 
was  not  one  of  the  half  dozen  either. 

Just  before  dusk  the  train  passed  along  the  Ohio 
river  and  the  men  involuntarily  flocked  to  the  west 
side  of  the  train  to  take  a  last  sight  of  their  native 
state.  The  blue  Ohio  hills  stretched  away  into  the 
lengthening  shadows  with  a  grandeur  they  were  never 
known  before  to  have  possessed,  and  with  three  lusty 
cheers  for  the  grand  old  Buckeye  state,  the  train 
pulled  into  West  Virginia. 

At  Huntington,  where  the  first  stop  was  made,  a 
glad  surprise  was  made  a  feature  of  the  whole  trip. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  115 

i 

The  history  of  the  regiment  as  a  National  Guard  or 
ganization  was  known  in  Huntington  and  the  people 
of  that  town  did  honor  to  its  members  by  meeting 
them  at  the  station  with  hot  coffee  and  fresh  sand 
wiches  for  all.  The  train  stopped  some  minutes  for 
the  reception,  which  was  enlivened  by  a  band  concert 
and  the  exchange  of  three  cheers  and  a  "tiger"  for  the 
Fourth  Ohio  by  the  Huntingtonians  and  for  the  same 
compliment  by  the  regiment  for  their  West  Virginia 
friends.  While  this  was  going  on  the  boys  on  the 
train  and  the  girls  on  the  platform  were  trading  roses, 
fans,  handkerchiefs  and  hair  ribbons  for  brass  buttons, 
hard  tack  and  all  sorts  of  souvenirs. 

It  was  dark  when  the  train  bearing  the  first  bat 
talion  left  Huntington,  hence  there  was  little  interest 
to  the  trip  from  that  on  until  daylight.  The  train 
made  slow  progress  in  getting  up  the  steep  grade 
during  the  night,  some  of  the  connections  being  rather 
bad,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  numerous  stops 
for  repairs.  Daylight  found  the  regiment  well  to  the 
top  of  the  hill,  near  Cliffton  Forge. 

Here  the  most  delightful  journey  that  could  have 
been  enjoyed  anywhere  at  that  season  of  the  year  was 
begun.  The  train  bounded  over  the  hills,  across  the 
narrow  valleys,  through  woodland  and  by  the  side  of 
rich  pastures.  It  dashed  by  the  way  stations  where, 
as  had  been  the  case  in  Kentucky,  the  village  people 
gathered  to  see  the  boys  "going  to  war,"  and  at  some 
of  the  little  mountain  villages,  the  train  fairly  brushed 
the  bunting,  flags  and  flowers  which  decorated  the 
buildings  and  trees  in  honor  of  the  regiment. 


116  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  men  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  were  treated  on  that 
day  to  the  finest  views  that  nature  ever  spread  upon  a 
landscape.  On  one  side  the  hills  towered  up  into  the 
very  bosom  of  the  clouds  while  on  the  other  side  the 
deep  fertile  valleys  spread  out  far  below  the  tracks 
into  the  distance.  Passing  through  Staunton  the 
train  darted  through  the  heart  of  the  mountain,  then 
curved  sharply  around  peaks  and  cliffs  and  finally 
pushed  along  the  side  of  a  steep  bluff,  where  to  the 
right  lay  the  beautiful  Piedmont  valley,  clothed  in 
the  most  beautiful  array  which  nature  could  bestow. 
The  gracefully  winding  turn  pike  seemed  to  creep 
companion-like  with  the  sparkling  stream,  off  to  the 
gentle  south,  their  path  leading  through  fields  of  ripen 
ing  grain  and  waving  corn,  where  were  nestled  little 
groves  and  comfortable  farm  houses,  snugly  ensconced 
in  the  happy  scene  as  if  placed  there  by  the  Creator  to 
show  above  all  other  places  how  truly  "the  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God  and  the  firmament  showeth 
His  handy  work." 

Speeding  down  the  mountain  side  the  train  soon 
reached  Charlottesville,  where  it  stopped  long  enough 
for  the  sections  to  get  together  and  for  the  men  to 
invest  in  pies  and  other  delicacies  at  the  near-by  res 
taurants.  The  delay  was  longer  here  than  had  been 
intended  on  account  of  a  breakdown  of  one  of  the 
trucks.  The  repair  was  soon  made,  however,  and  the 
journey  resumed,  so  that  as  it  was  growing  dark,  the 
boys  found  themselves  where  their  fathers  had  tried 
hard  to  get  thirty  years  before — within  the  city  limits 
of  Richmond.  They  received  a  very  different  recep- 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  117 

tion,  however,  than  their  ancestors  had  received,  for 
the  boys  in  blue  were  welcomed  on  every  hand,  and 
although  the  stop  at  Richmond  was  very  short,  the 
town  while  they  were  there  belonged  to  the  Fourth 
Ohio. 

It  was  dark  when  the  train  left  Richmond,  so  that 
the  scenery  from  that  point  was  lost,  but  so  much  had 
been  enjoyed  through  the  busy  day  that  the  boys  were 
glad  to  retire  to  their  apartments  in  the  tourist  sleep 
ers  to  get  the  third  and  last  night's  sleep  as  the  guests 
of  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio. 

The  train  arrived  at  Newport  News  about  mid 
night,  but  there  was  no  attempt  made  to  unload  until 
daylight.  "Reveille"  was  sounded  earlier  than  usual, 
however,  and  as  soon  as  the  boys  could  be  summoned 
out  of  their  comfortable  bunks,  the  regiment  was 
formed  and  marched  to  an  assigned  camping  place  in 
a  field  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  James  river. 

As  soon  as  the  camp  was  laid  out  and  the  work  of 
putting  up  the  shelter  tents,  or  upup  tents,"  as  the 
boys  preferred  to  call  them,  was  under  way,  details 
were  made  to  unload  such  baggage  as  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  temporary  camp.  A  few  cooking 
utensils,  besides  the  personal  baggage  of  the  men  and 
officers  was  all  that  was  taken  off  the  train  at  that 
time.  Breakfast  was  hastily  prepared,  the  old  story 
of  digging  sinks  was  completed  and  the  men  were 
allowed  the  privilege  of  the  James  river  for  bathing 
purposes.  The  salt  water  brought  up  by  the  tide  was 
exactly  what  the  boys  needed,  and  the  dirt  and  dust 


118  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

that  had  been  collected  in  the  long  trip  from  Chicka- 
mauga  park  was  afterward  referred  to  as  a  sand  bar  in 
the  stream. 

The  shipping  industry  of  Newport  News  is  very 
interesting,  and  the  big  dry  docks  near  the  camp  were 
the  first  places  visited.  There  were  several  govern 
ment  vessels  there  and  many  of  the  boys  went  aboard 
to  see  just  what  they  really  were  and  to  learn  from 
personal  observation  if  the  navy  about  which  they 
had  heard  and  read  so  much  and  for  which  they  had 
cheered  so  loudly  and  so  often,  were  really  all  that  was 
represented.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  any  suspicions 
that  might  have  been  entertained  were  hastily  and 
permanently  removed. 

While  some  of  the  men  were  bathing  in  the  river 
or  visiting  the  dry  docks,  others  took  hasty  trips  to 
Old  Point  Comfort  and  other  near-by  places  of  inter 
est.  The  novelty  of  this  also  soon  wore  away  and  the 
boys  were  compelled  to  resort  to  the  quiet  of  the  camp 
and  simply  wait  for  orders.  The  weather  was  the 
hottest  any  of  them  had  ever  experienced  and  certainly 
with  the  thermometer  at  one  hundred  in  the  shade 
in  a  camp  on  sandy,  unshaded  soil  where  rain  had  not 
fallen  for  weeks,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
some  of  the  men  had  no  more  energy  than  "the  law 
allowed." 

It  was  here  that  the  first  real  war-like  order  was 
received.  It  came  to  Colonel  Coit,  who  was  directed 
to  designate  one  of  the  companies  of  his  regiment  to 
take  charge  of  some  dynamite  guns  that  had  been 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  brigade.  Captain  Potter 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  119 

having  had  considerable  experience  as  an  artillery 
officer  in  the  First  Ohio  Light  Artillery  when  it  was  a 
National  Guard  organization,  was  made  one  of  the 
officers  and  his  company  (F)  was  made  the  "dynamite" 
company  of  the  brigade. 

Acting  Ordance  Officer  First  Lieutenant  Harry 
Graham  was  assigned  to  the  new  company  and  Lieuten 
ant  Clyde  Modie  was  assigned  to  A  Company  to  fill 
the  vacancy  made  by  the  assignment  of  Lieutenant 
Graham.  This  made  the  company  well  equipped  foi 
the  work  they  were  expected  to  do  and  the  boys  oi 
Company  F  soon  became  expert  artillerymen.  The 
only  other  change  in  the  regiment  was  the  discharge 
of  Captain  Pritchard  of  Company  H.  This  placed  the 
command  of  the  company  upon  Lieutenant  Smith, 
who  retained  command  until  after  the  regiment  re 
turned  home. 

The  parade  grounds  at  Newport  News  were  hot, 
sandy  weed  fields.  The  brigade  camp  was  arranged 
just  as  it  had  been  in  Camp  Thomas,  but  there  was 
not  room  for  more  than  one  regiment  at  a  time  on  the 
parade  ground.  The  regular  evening  dress  parade 
came  off  as  usual,  however,  the  Third  Illinois  taking 
the  field  first  as  the  ranking  regiment,  and  the  Fourth 
Ohio  next,  which  in  turn  was  followed  by  the  Fourth 
Pennsylvania,  In  this  way  each  regiment  was  per 
mitted  to  watch  the  parade  of  the  other  two. 

A  delay  at  Newport  News  had  not  been  expected 
by  any  means,  and  when  orders  were  not  forthcoming 
to  board  the  transports  for  Porto  Rico,  the  boys  began 
to  get  uneasy.  No  complaints  were  offered  the  first 


120  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

night,  but  when  the  boys  found  that  they  must  lie  in 
their  "pup  tents"  on  Tuesday  night  as  well,  there  was 
considerable  growling.  As  a  matter  of  course  the 
authorities  at  Washington  lost  little  sleep  on  this  ac 
count,  and  those  who  did  not  like  the  idea  of  staying, 
staid  just  the  same  as  those  who  did.  Finally  the 
order  came  on  Tuesday  to  load  all  necessary  baggage 
on  the  transport  St.  Paul.  The  Fourth  Pennsylvania 
was  ordered  to  the  Seneca  and  the  City  of  Wash 
ington  and  the  Third  Illinois  to  the  St.  Louis. 
The  St.  Louis  and  the  St.  Paul  were  sister  ships 
and  had  been  used  before  the  war  as  pas 
senger  ships  on  the  Atlantic  ocean.  They  had 
been  leased  by  the  government,  however,  and  they 
were  at  this  time  classed  as  auxiliary  cruisers.  They 
were  heavily  armed  and  protected  and  the  St.  Paul 
had  been  placed  in  command  of  Captain  Sigsbee,  the 
naval  officer  who  had  grown  in  public  favor  from 
having  been  in  command  of  the  battleship  Maine  at  the 
time  she  was  blown  up  in  Havana  harbor.  The  dis 
tinction  of  being  taken  away  by  this  officer  afforded  the 
boys  considerable  satisfaction. 

Large  details  were  made  and  placed  at  the  hands 
of  Captain  Vincent  and  several  lieutenants  and  the 
work  of  loading  the  transports  was  begun.  The  cars 
were  taken  to  the  piers  of  the  C.  &  O.  R'y  and  there 
loaded  on  barges  or  lighters  and  taken  out  to  the 
transport.  In  the  meantime  the  camp  on  the  out 
skirts  of  the  city  was  broken  up  and  the  regiment 
marched  down  to  the  piers  to  wait  for  lighters  to  take 
the  companies  out  also.  It  was  expected  that  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  121 

lighters  would  be  there  and  that  the  regiment  would 
board  the  St.  Paul  at  once,  but  after  a  long  and  weary 
wait,  it  was  found  that  the  men  would  have  to  sleep 
on  shore  at  least  one  more  night.  The  camp  broken 
up,  the  baggage  all  packed,  and  everything  in  an  un 
settled  condition,  the  regiment  was  in  as  unhappy 
plight  as  it  could  have  been  on  American  soil.  Those 
who  had  retained  their  tents,  put  them  up  on  the 
campus  surrounding  a  beautiful  summer  casino.  The 
owners  of  the  building  very  kindly  consented  to  the 
use  of  the  veranda  and  the  upper  floor  for  the  accom 
modation  of  those  who  did  not  have  shelter  tents. 
The  arrangement  was  as  satisfactory  as  it  could  well 
have  been,  and  with  a  few  exceptions,  where  the  boys 
got  too  near  each  other  or  where  the  boards  of  the 
floor  were  laid  "hard  side  up,"  they  spent  the  night 
as  happily  as  the  existing  state  of  expectancy  would 
permit. 

Thursday  morning  did  not  bring  with  it  the 
encouragement  the  boys  had  expected,  but  another 
long  day  of  expectant  waiting.  Every  time  a  whistle 
blew  or  a  boat  approached,  everybody  strained  his  eyes 
to  see  if  it  were  the  lighter.  Dinner  was  served 
and  still  the  boat  did  not  come,  but  as  suddenly 
as  a  summer  shower,  at  2  o'clock  the  regiment  was 
called  together  by  the  sounding  of  "assembly,"  and 
when  the  "forward  march"  was  commanded,  the  regi 
ment  followed  the  colors  to  the  wharf,  where  in  a  few 
minutes  one  lighter  took  on  the  whole  command. 
Several  Columbus  people  had  come  to  Newport  News, 
and  of  course  they  were  on  hand  to  see  the  regiment 


122  THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

"heave  away."  Half  the  city,  where  by  their  gentle 
manly  manner  and  soldierly  conduct  the  boys  had 
formed  many  acquaintances  and  friends,  turned  out  to 
give  the  regiment  a  parting  cheer. 

The  trip  from  the  pier  to  the  St.  Paul  was  of  little 
interest.  The  transport  could  not  get  near  the  pier, 
of  course,  and  she  was  anchored  out  in  the  bay  near 
Old  Point  Comfort.  The  baggage  had  been  loaded 
when  the  regiment  reached  the  boat  and  the  work  of 
boarding  the  monster  transport  took  but  little  time. 

When  the  regiment  was  all  on  the  boys  thought 
it  was  time  to  go,  but  there  was  a  large  supply  of 
Kragg-Jorgensen  rifles  to  load,  so  that  it  was  not  until 
the  next  morning  that  the  crew  of  the  St.  Paul  weighed, 
anchor  and  started  on  the  voyage  to  the  scene  of  the 
conflict.  The  first  night  (Thursday)  was  not  given  up 
entirely  to  sleep  by  any  means.  There  was  too  much 
to  see  and  talk  about.  The  great  vessel  had  to  be  ex 
plored  as  a  matter  of  course  and  the  seamen  and 
marines  had  to  be  interviewed  about  the  thousands  of 
details,  so  that  few  indeed  were  the  eyes  that  closed 
in  sleep  that  night. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  123 


GHAPTEK  IX. 


OFF  TO  PORTO  RICO. 

Sail  on  Friday— The  Trip  Through  the  Harbor— The  St. 
Paul — "Travel  Rations" — "Prime  Roast  Beef" — Hard 
Tack  and  Coffee — Boston  Baked  Beans — Tomatoes — One 
Dollar  Pies — Sea  Sickness — Religious  Services  at  Sea — 
Fine  Weather  Voyage — Warlike  Preparations — At  the 
Harbor  of  Ponce — Cruise  to  Arroyo — Kragg  Jorgensen 
Rifles— End  of  the  Voyage— The  Landing. 

Friday  morning  came  one  of  the  brightest  of  the 
year.  The  delightful  sea  breeze  was  cool,  refreshing 
and  invigorating  and  the  boys  were  happy.  The  long 
wait  at  Newport  News  had  worked  their  nervous 
systems  into  such  condition  that  anything  in  the  way 
of  a  change  was  welcome.  When  the  beating  of  the 
huge  engines  was  first  felt,  like  the  pulse  of  a  strong 
animal,  the  boys  all  flocked  to  the  rails  to  watch  de 
velopments.  Certainly  they  did  not  watch  in  vain, 
for  everything  was  new.  The  sight  of  the  huge 
vessel  pushing  its  big  nose  through  the  light  swelling 
waves  is  a  pretty  sight  at  any  time  and  especially  to 
those  who  had  never  before  seen  the  sea.  The  vessel 
passed  on  out  the  bay,  passing  Fortress  Monroe  and 
other  places  of  interest,  finally  pushing  itself  out  of  the 
limits  of  Hampton  Roads  and  into  the  open  sea. 
Here  her  course  was  set  and  gradually  she  passed  out 
of  view  of  land.  The  boys  watched  the  fading  out 
lines  of  houses,  steeples  and  hills  with  an  interest  that 
one  who  is  leaving  his  native  land  can  only  feel,  and 


124  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     /. 

when  the  last  trace  of  America  died  away,  the  boys 
slowly  retired  to  "secret  places"  to  relieve  themselves 
of  the  many  misgivings  occasioned  by  the  "strange 
surroundings." 

The  St.  Paul  could  not  have  been  made  more 
comfortable  for  troops  had  she  been  built  expressly 
for  the  purpose.  The  deep,  roomy  hold  furnished 
storage  room  for  the  subsistence  and  other  supplies, 
the  snug,  well-fitted  state  rooms  furnished  excellent 
quarters  for  the  men,  and  the  white  smooth  decks 
furnished  splendid  room  for  promenading.  Now  this 
would  have  been  exactly  true  if  the  regiment  had  con 
sisted  of  six  hundred  men  instead  of  thirteen  hundred, 
and  if  the  subsistence  referred  to  had  been  of  a  dif 
ferent  kind  than  that  about  to  be  described.  As  it  was 
the  men  were  crowded.  The  decks  were  reserved  for 
the  officers,  with  the  insignificant  exception  of  the 
lower  deck  and  the  space  "fore"  and  "aft,"  which  was 
devoted  to  the  storage  of  quartermaster's  stores  and 
to  the  quartering  of  two  companies.  What  deck 
room  was  left  was  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  companies 
alternately — whose  sergeants  took  them  up  to  air  out 
their  clothing  and  for  exercise. 

When  the  regiment  left  Chickamauga  park 
"travel  rations"  were  issued.  By  travel  rations  was 
meant  at  that  time,  "Prime  Roast  Beef,"  "Boston 
Baked  Beans,"  "Finest  Quality  Tomatoes,"  hard  tack, 
coffee  and  sugar.  This  would  have  made  an  excellent 
luncheon  for  a  hungry  man,  provided  that  it  came  as 
the  menu  would  appear,  taken  from  the  labels  as 
above,  and  only  administered  once,  say  each  week; 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  125 

bur  when  it  came  three  times  each  day,  seven  days  in 
the  week  and  for  more  than  four  weeks  in  succession, 
there  was  room  for  complaint  and  every  available  part 
of  the  "room"  was  used. 

"'The  Prime  Roast  Beef"  will  remain  in  the 
memory  of  every  member  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  who  was 
on  that  voyage  as  long  as  he  lives.  The  English, 
language  absolutely  does  not  contain  an  expression 
more  deceptive  than  that  combination.  It  was  the 
lowest  grade  of  beef  that  could  have  been  placed  on 
the  market,  packed  in  tin  cans,  and  after  it  laid  in 
store  rooms,  freight  depots  and  other  repositories  for 
unknown  periods  of  time,  it  was  handed  to  the  enlisted 
men  of  the  American  army  and  they  were  expected  to 
feel  happy.  In  many  cases  the  stuff  was  spoiled,  if 
indeed  it  ever  had  been  fit  for  the  use  of  human  beings, 
and  that  which  was  pronounced  "sound  and  all  right" 
had  laid  around  in  the  sun  or  hot  shade  so  long  that  it 
was  absolutely  sickening  to  look  at,  to  say  nothing  of 
its  use  as  a  diet  for  men  who  were  expected  to  perform 
the  hardest  kind  of  physical  labor. 

"Boston  Baked  Beans" — the  name  itself  is  sug 
gestive  as  a  delicate  morsel,  but  when  it  comes  to  a 
hungry  man  in  tin  cans  after  having  laid  days,  weeks 
and  months  where  ice  was  not  known,  it  did  not  appear 
as  a  strengthening  food  or  as  a  tempting  viand.  The 
beans,  too,  were  often  spoiled  and  disgusting  even  to 
think  of,  and  served,  as  they  were,  without  cooking 
or  even  seasoning,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the 
boys  became  tired  of  that  sort  of  living. 

The  hard  tack  was  the  same  variety  that  had  been 
used  at  Camp  Thomas  and  as  long  as  the  bread  had  to 


126  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

be  hard,  there  was  no  just  cause  for  complaint,  but 
the  coffee  was  simply  horrifying.  This  was  all  that 
was  given  the  boys  warm.  "Hot"  would  be  a  better 
sounding  word  to  use  in  the  connection,  but  it  would  be 
misleading.  A  detail  from  each  mess  was  sent  to  one 
of  the  ship's  galleys,  where  buckets  of  water  little  more 
than  tepid  were  issued.  These  buckets  were  carried 
back  to  the  messes,  where  crushed  coffee  grains  were 
thrown  in,  and  after  being  allowed  to  remain  undis 
turbed  for  a  few  minutes,  the  concoction  received  a 
small  addition  of  sugar  and  the  slightly  colored  fluid 
was  called  "coffee."  It  was  all  that  there  was  to  be 
had  and  of  course  all  the  "kicking"  that  could  have 
been  done  availed  nothing. 

All  attempts  to  describe  the  "Finest  Quality  To 
matoes"  could  but  be  futile.  Less  narrow-minded 
gastronomic  critics  than  vegetarians  have  pronounced 
tomatoes  an  excellent  food,  but  had  any  one  advanced 
such  an  argument  before  the  enlisted  men  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  at  that  time,  he  would  have  been  thrown 
overboard  in  less  time  than  he  could  have  apologized, 
even  could  one  have  been  accepted.  These  tomatoes 
were  stale,  sometimes  spoiled,  sickening  at  best,  and 
their  effect  on  the  moral  and  physical  soldier  was  de 
teriorating  in  the  extreme. 

Who  was  responsible  for  this  unnecessary  suffer 
ing  it  is  not  the  object  of  this  work  to  determine,  but 
suffice  it  to  say  that  the  officers  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  did 
all  in  their  power  to  prevent  it.  Colonel  Coit  even 
placed  his  own  standing  in  jeopardy  by  objecting  to 
such  rations,  but  his  efforts  were  in  vain.  The  regi- 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  127 

mental  officers  were  compelled  to  take  what  was  given 
them,  hence  the  men  were  forced  to  accept  that  or 
none. 

While  the  regiment  was  enroute  from  Chicka- 
mauga  park  it  was  often  possible  for  the  men  to  visit 
restaurants  or  provision  stores  and  spend  part  of  their 
$15.60  per  month  for  something  to  eat,  but  out  in 
the  "midst  of  the  sea"  there  were  no  stores  to  be  visited 
and  he  who  could  not  eat  what  he  was  given  was  com 
pelled  to  go  without  eating  anything. 

Some  of  the  ship's  bakers  proved  to  be  generous 
individuals,  and  taking  pity  on  the  men  offered  to  bake 
ordinary-sized  peach  pies  at  from  twenty-five  cents  to 
a  dollar.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  few  pies  were  sold. 
It  might  be  added,  however,  that  some  were  stolen. 

The  officers  of  the  regiment  appreciated  the  cir 
cumstances  under  which  the  men  were  placed,  but 
they  were  unable  to  relieve  the  suffering. 

There  was  a  time  in  the  experience  of  many  of 
the  boys  when  the  subject  of  food  did  not  interest  them 
in  the  slightest  degree.  The  inevitable  sea  sickness 
came  over  them  in  spite  of  all  their  manly  efforts  to 
avoid  it,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  an  ex 
pectant  hero  delivering  all  his  stomach  or  his  future 
contained  into  the  deep  blue  sea. 

When  the  last  dim  outlines  of  Fair  Columbia 
faded  away  beneath  the  horizon,  the  boys  began  to 
acquire  an  experience  entirely  novel.  Aside  from  the 
view  of  the  vessel  and  her  spars  and  masts,  her  decks, 
huge  stacks  and  intricate  machinery,  there  was  abso 
lutely  nothing  on  which  the  boys  could  feast  their  gaze 


128  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 

except  the  sky  above  and  the  water  below.  Some  of 
them  watched  the  waves,  but  those  who  did  were  soon 
forced  to  go  below  to  their  bunks  and  wrestle  with  the 
agonies  of  sea  sickness.  It  was  soon  learned  that  there 
are  two  stages  of  the  disease:  At  the  first  the  patient 
fears  that  he  will  die  and  at  the  second  he  is  afraid 
that  he  will  not  die.  There  were  a  few  of  the  men  of 
the  Fourth  Ohio  who  did  not  suffer  in  either  stage  and 
these  fortunate  individuals  found  it  the  source  of  an 
exquisite  but  certainly  a  wicked  pleasure  in  tormenting 
the  poor  fellows  who  struggled  so  nobly  but  so  use 
lessly  to  keep  their  heads  up  and  their  feet  on  the 
decks. 

An  interesting  as  well  as  profitable  incident  of 
the  voyage  on  the  St.  Paul  was  the  religious  service 
conducted  by  Chaplain  Schindel  on  Sunday,  July 
31.  The  service  was  not  as  largely  attended  as  those 
at  Camp  Thomas,  perhaps,  one  reason  being  that  there 
was  not  room  to  accommodate  all  the  regiment  and  the 
other  being  that  it  was  at  that  time  a  physical  im 
possibility  for  the  men  to  stand  or  even  sit  in  one 
place  long  enough  to  listen  to  all  of  an  ordinary  re 
ligious  discourse.  Chaplain  Schindel  himself  suffered 
some  of  the  agonies  of  coming  sea  sickness,  and  had  he 
not  reached  his  "lastly"  at  the  time  he  did,  the  sermon 
would  probably  have  been  continued  at  another  date. 

As  had  been  done  at  Camp  Thomas,  the  music 
for  the  service  was  furnished  by  the  regimental  band. 
Captain  Sigsbee  had  suggested  the  text:  Revelation 
xxi,  1,  "There  shall  be  no  more  sea."  A  touching 
reference  was  made  to  the  life  of  Captain  Sigsbee  and 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  129 

the  other  seamen  on  board  the  St.  Paul,  and  when  the 
chaplain  drew  out  the  thought  in  his  discourse  that 
the  sea  represented  shattered  hopes,  unfulfilled  plans, 
etc.,  the  desctruction  of  the  battleship  Maine  was 
made  an  illustration  that  moistened  every  eye  within 
the  sound  of  the  chaplain's  voice.  One  of  the 
thoughts  brought  out  in  the  sermon  was  suggested  by 
the  regimental  clerk,  Will  Markeson.  The  sight  of 
the  waves  as  they  rolled  listlessly  about,  ever  and 
anon  striking  each  other  and  wasting  their  forces  in  an 
endless  but  fruitless  struggle,  thus  illustrating  the  loss 
of  many  of  the  forces  which  are  allowed  to  waste  in  the 
life  of  the  average  man,  had  suggested  to  the  clerk 
a  valuable  lesson,  and  the  chaplain  decided  that  his 
hearers  should  profit  by  it.  The  sermon  was  an  in 
teresting  and  a  valuable  one,  and  will  remain  a  lasting 
impression  on  the  minds  of  those  who  heard  it. 

This  service  is  also  interesting  from  the  fact  that 
it  was  the  only  one  conducted  by  troops  transported 
on  the  St.  Paul  while  she  was  in  the  government 
service  and  the  last  one  conducted  on  her  decks  be 
fore  she  went  back  into  service  as  a  commercial  liner. 

The  weather  was  fine  during  the  entire  trip. 
There  was  a  slight  shower  Monday  evening,  but  the 
only  effect  was  to  cool  and  purify  the  atmosphere,  and 
this  was  a  most  welcome  change.  Time  drug  heavily 
on  the  officers  and  men,  and  the  few  forms  of  amuse 
ment  that  were  possible  to  adopt  soon  became  mon 
otonous. 

Finally  the  boys  who  were  on  the  lower  decks 
heard  a  shout  from  the  upper  part  of  the  vessel. 


130  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

Those  who  were  above  flocked  to  the  rails;  the  band 
struck  up  a  merry  tune  and  the  word  was  soon  passed 
to  those  who  were  in  that  part  of  the  vessel  where  a 
view  of  the  horizon  could  not  be  obtained,  that  land 
was  in  sight.  It  was  indeed  a  grand  sight,  although 
the  land  that  could  be  seen  was  merely  the  outlines 
of  a  small  island  off  San  Domingo,  but  the  early 
morning  sun  lit  up  the  tops  of  the  broken  hills  so  that 
the  boys  who  had  not  seen  anything  but  sky  and  water 
for  three  days,  considered  even  that  a  most  welcome 
sight.  This  was  on  the  morning  of  Monday,  August 
1st,  and  at  about  6  o'clock. 

Land  was  almost  constantly  in  sight  from  that  on, 
but  when  the  port  of  Guanico  was  reached  a  strange 
experience  passed  into  the  history  of  each  man.  The 
entrance  to  the  harbor  of  the  village  could  be  seen 
very  plainly  and  back  in  the  harbor  could  be  outlined 
the  mastheads  and  bulk  of  a  large  vessel.  The  village 
of  Guanico  is  only  a  small  one,  but  the  harbor  is  a 
good  one  and  as  heavy  storms  are  of  frequent  occur 
rence  in  Porto  Rico  and  the  surrounding  waters,  the 
possession  of  this  harbor  was  at  that  time  considered 
quite  important.  At  the  side  of  the  large  vessel  could 
be  seen  a  smaller  one,  presumably  a  gun  boat,  but 
even  with  the  aid  of  glasses  these  vessels  could  not  be 
distinctly  made  out.  All  the  ship's  guns  were  loaded 
and  Captain  Sigsbee  took  his  place  at  the  bridge.  The 
St.  Paul  crept  cautiously  up  to  the  harbor,  signals 
being  made  to  the  strange  craft,  but  without  answer. 
Finally  the  gunboat  started  out  to  sea  toward  the  St. 
Paul  and  the  Ohio  boys  began  to  think  that  the  time 
had  at  last  come  for  them  to  see  real  action. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  131 

As  the  gunboat  approached  nearer,  however,  it 
proved  to  be  the  United  States  monitor  "Terror,"  and 
the  larger  vessel  in  the  port  of  Guanico  was  the  "City 
of  Washington,"  loaded  with  supplies  for  our  army. 
The  sensations  experienced  by  every  one  on  board, 
however,  while  the  identity  of  the  vessel  was  in  doubt, 
were  the  first  of  what  was  afterwards  a  series  long  to 
be  remembered. 

Guanico  is  but  an  hour's  sail  from  Ponce,  the 
port  at  which  General  Brooke  intended  to  land  his 
troops  in  Porto  Rico.  After  a  brief  code  conversation 
with  the  Terror,  the  St.  Paul  steamed  down  the  coast. 
It  was  but  a  short  time  until  the  Massachusetts  came 
alongside  and  delivered  mail  to  the  officers  and  sailors 
on  board  the  St.  Paul.  A  few  miles  further  sail 
landed  the  St.  Paul  in  sight  of  Ponce,  and  in  the  har 
bor  could  plainly  be  seen  the  St.  Louis  lying  in  the 
protecting  shadows  of  a  strong  American  fleet. 

The  first  thing  learned  by  the  Ohio  boys  was  a  bit 
of  news  somewhat  disappointing  when  considered  in 
the  light  of  their  ambition  to  fight,  that  Ponce  had 
surrendered  without  a  struggle;  that  the  people  had 
actually  cheered  the  approach  of  the  stars  and  stripes. 
Nevertheless,  the  band  played  "The  Star  Spangled 
Banner"  as  it  never  played  it  before  and  the  St.  Paul 
anchored  for  the  night. 

It  was  rather  disappointing  to  the  men  to  listen  to 
"taps"  on  board  the  ship.  So  near  the  presence  of  the 
enemy,  they  had  hoped  to  sleep  under  arms,  with  a 
double  strength  of  guards  around  an  actual  camp  on 
Spanish  soil.  They  accepted  their  fate  with  a  fair 


132  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

degree  of  submission,  merely  vowing  that  when  they 
got  a  chance  they  would  make  up  for  all  these  hours 
of  monotonous  waiting. 

The  regiment  heard  the  first  words  of  welcome 
early  the  next  morning  when  a  dusky  native  was 
rowed  to  the  St.  Paul.  The  skiff  which  bore  him 
across  the  waves  was  protected  by 'a  sort  of  box  canopy, 
the  only  evidence  that  he  was  more  than  an  ordinary 
Porto  Kican.  He  might  have  been  the  mayor  of  the 
city,  and  he  might  have  been  the  governor  of  the 
province  for  all  anybody  knew  or  cared,  but  clamoring 
up  the  sides  of  the  great  vessel,  he  crawled  over  the 
rail  onto  the  upper  deck,  and  swelling  up  at  the  chest, 
he  pointed  to  his  home  across  the  bay  and  grunted: 
"Ponce!  Porto  Rico!  'Mericano!"  Then  punching 
himself  in  the  ribs,  he  pointed  toward  the  scene  of  the 
victory  in  southern  Cuba  a  month  before  and  ora- 
torically  remarked,  "Santiag'  surren',  surrenV  He 
had  evidently  prepared  an  eloquent  address  of  wel 
come,  but  that  was  as  far  as  he  could  go  and  accepting 
the  cheers  the  boys  gave  him  as  gracefully  as  a  back 
county  politician,  he  bowed  another  welcome  and 
climbed  back  into  his  skiff  as  mysteriously  as  he  had 
boarded  the  St.  Paul. 

Thus  finding  that  there  was  nothing  for  soldiers 
to  do  at  that  time  at  Ponce,  Greneral  Haines  was  in 
structed  to  take  his  brigade  forty  miles  further  down 
the  coast  and  effect  a  landing  at  the  small  port  at 
Arroyo.  It  was  night  when  the  regiment  arrived 
there,  so  of  course  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  land 
troops  before  morning.  This  was  still  worse  to 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  133 

the  boys  and  the  growling  was  proportionately  fiercer, 
but  the  effect  was  the  same.  The  Seneca  with  the 
Fourth  Pennsylvania  lay  nearest  the  shore,  except  the 
United  States  battleship  Cincinnati,  which  occupied 
a  commanding  position  of  the  port  and  the  country 
immediately  adjoining.  Then  came  the  St.  Louis 
with  the  Third  Illinois  and  the  St.  Paul  with  the 
Fourth  Ohio,  at  least  five  miles  further  from  shore  than 
the  other  vessels.  Lying  peacefully  at  anchor  near  by, 
were  the  tugboats  Stillwater,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the 
Gussie,  of  New  Orleans.  Swinging  with  the  swell 
behind  the  larger  vessels  were  a  number  of  low,  heavy 
lighters  used  by  the  natives  of  the  island  for  drifting 
sugar  from  the  shore  to  the  large  freighting  vessels 
which  took  the  principal  product  of  the  country  to 
foreign  consumers.  The  lighters  were  called  "sugar 
bowls"  by  the  sailors,  because  of  their  use.  Those 
secured  by  the  navy,  however,  had  been  used  at  Ponce 
for  unloading  horses  and  mules,  forage  and  all  sorts  of 
supplies  and  stores.  These  were  brought  along  for  the 
purpose  of  transporting  the  men  from  the  larger  ves 
sels  to  the  shore. 

While  the  vessel  was  cruising  along  the  coast  to 
Arroyo,  the  ordnance  officer,  Lieutenant  Graham,  was 
busily  engaged  in  collecting  the  old  Springfield  rifles, 
belts  and  bayonets  which  had  been  taken  from  Ohio 
and  issuing  in  their  stead  the  new  Kragg-Jorgensen 
arms.  The  men  were  also  given  fine  web  belts  with 
capacity  for  holding  one  hundred  cartridges  each,  and 
new  bayonets.  The  officers  were  at  once  set  to  work 
instructing  their  men  in  the  use  of  the  new  guns  and 
everything  was  bustle  on  the  ship. 


134  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

On  Wednesday  morning,  August  3,  arrange 
ments  were  begun  for  unloading  the  men.  The  Still- 
water  and  the  Gussie  came  along  side  the  St.  Paul, 
the  lighters  were  towed  into  position  and  after  the 
Stillwater  had  pushed  too  near  the  big  transport  and 
had  torn  away  the  passageway  on  her  port  side,  the 
Third  Battalion  and  the  non-commissioned  staff  and 
band,  in  command  of  the  colonel  and  Major  Sellers, 
climbed  down  the  sides  of  the  St.  Paul  and  then  into 
the  lighters.  The  Grussie  towed  them  to  the  shore 
and  they  were  at  once  assigned  to  quarters  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  village. 

The  Third  Battalion  and  headquarters  had  hardly 
reached  shore  when  it  was  reported  to  the  officers  of 
the  Cincinnati  that  the  Spanish  forces  just  beyond  the 
town  were  throwing  up  earthworks.  The  Cincinnati 
at  once  began  to  investigate  and  seeing  through  glasses 
what  appeared  to  be  a  number  of  men  at  work,  she 
began  to  pump  shells  into  the  hills.  Those  back  on 
the  St.  Paul  could  see  the  great  volumes  of  smoke 
belch  forth  from  the  mouths  of  the  guns  of  the  Cin 
cinnati  and  they  could  hear  the  sonorous  report  dis 
tinctly  enough,  but  they  could  not  make  out  what  oc 
casioned  the  shooting.  The  St.  Paul  was  too  far  from 
shore  for  rifle  reports  to  have  been  heard  and  con 
siderable  fear  was  entertained  lest  the  Third  Battalion 
might  have  gotten  into  trouble.  The  fact  that  the 
lighters  had  all  gone  and  that  there  was  no  possible 
way  of  assisting  their  comrades  only  made  matters 
worse  for  the  boys,  and  then  when  the  St.  Paul  began 
to  push  still  further  out  to  sea,  the  disgust  of  those 
who  were  left  aboard  could  not  be  concealed. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  135 

"See  here/'  said  a  stalwart  soldier  of  C  Company 
when  some  one  suggested  that  the  Third  Battalion 
might  need  help,  "them  there  fellers  belongs  to  the 
Fourth  Ohio.  That's  the  fightin'  reg'ment  of  this 
here  bregade,  and  Maje  Sellers  is  right  there  with  'em. 
Any  time  they  ain't  able  to  take  care  of  their  selves, 
somebod'll  let  us  know."  This  patriotic  remark  had 
a  good  effect  and  the  idea  was  carried  from  one  to  the 
other  until  the  point  discussed  was  what  kind  of  noise 
these  shells  were  making  after  they  left  the  cannon. 

In  the  meantime  the  Third  Battalion  was  also 
wondering  what  the  mark  of  the  Cincinnati  really  was, 
but  they  knew  as  well  as  they  cared  to  know  how  the 
shells  sounded  as  they  sailed  through  the  air.  They 
went  directly  over  the  heads  of  the  boys  in  camp  and 
they  made  a  noise  that  none  of  them  care  to  hear 
again.  It  developed  later  on  that  the  fears  of  the  of 
ficers  were  wholly  unfounded,  as  no  earthworks  were 
found  in  the  hills  at  that  point  after  hostilities  had 
ceased. 

As  soon  as  the  Third  Battalion  had  been  taken 
safely  ashore,  the  Gussie  came  back  for  the  First. 
Major  Speaks  was  in  command  of  this  trip,  assisted 
by  members  of  General  Haines'  staff,  the  general 
having  gone  ashore  before.  This  time  the  Gussie 
started  for  the  open  sea  instead  of  toward  the  land 
and  she  made  a  circle  of  at  least  two  miles  before  she 
started  toward  shore.  The  waves  were  high  and  the 
lighters  were  tossed  about  as  though  they  were  but 
chips.  Each  one  contained  about  a  hundred  men, 
the  most  of  whom  were  so  sea  sick  that  they  did  not 


136  THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

care  whether  they  ever  reached  shore  or  not.  Every 
body  was  sick,  from  the  major  down  to  the  ugliest  pri 
vate  in  the  ranks,  and  if  there  were  an  occasional  well 
man,  he  was  too  busy  keeping  out  of  the  way  of  the 
fellows  who  were  less  fortunate,  to  appreciate  the 
humor  of  the  case,  if  indeed  there  could  be  anything 
humorous  in  such  matters. 

Just  why  the  St.  Paul  could  not  get  as  near  the 
shore  as  the  St.  Louis,  which  was  exactly  like  her  and 
which  lay  at  least  five  miles  nearer  shore,  is  a  matter 
which  the  Fourth  Ohio  boys  could  not  understand 
then  and  which  has. not  been  fully  explained  yet. 

It  was  dark  when  the  First  Battalion  reached 
shore,  but  they  were  taken  at  once  to  the  camp  assigned 
in  the  morning. 

From  no  fault  of  their  own  by  any  means,  the 
companies  of  the  Second  Battalion  remained  on  the 
St.  Paul  one  more  night  than  the  others.  They  em 
barked  under  Major  Baker  as  early  Thursday  morning 
as  it  was  possible  to  leave,  and  indeed  they  were  glad 
to  return  to  the  regiment.  By  direction  of  Colonel 
Coit,  Companies  H  and  M  remained  on  board  the  St. 
Paul  and  under  the  direction  of  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Adams  and  Captain  Vincent  unloaded  all  the  officers7 
personal  and  the  headquarters  baggage,  This  was 
by  no  means  an  easy  task,  as  the  members  of  these 
companies  voluntarily  testified  when  they  rejoined  the 
command  after  it  had  reached  Guayama. 

The  first  camp  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  on  Spanish 
soil  was  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  coast, 
on  the  site  of  an  abandoned  sugar  mill  and  on  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  137 

plantation  of  a  Captain  in  the  Spanish  volunteer  army. 
He  had  occupied  the  house  up  to  within  the  time  the 
American  ships  came  in  sight,  when  he  took  his  family 
and  his  household  effects  and  fled.  The  residence 
which  he  thus  deserted  became  the  headquarters  of 
the  Fourth  Ohio  on  the  morning  of  August  3. 

The  house  was  built  after  the  fashion  common  in 
tropical  countries,  set  up  on  posts  or  supporters.  "A 
house  on  stilts"  was  the  description  given  by  one  man. 

The  residence  part  of  the  house  was  reached  by 
a  flight  of  stairs  from  the  outside  with  a  landing  on 
an  overhanging  veranda  which  commanded  a  view 
of  the  sea  and  the  beautiful  landscape  toward  the  vil 
lage.  Near  the  house  was  a  long  shed  used  for  shelter 
for  the  oxen  and  other  animals  belonging  to  the  plan 
tation.  As  many  as  could  be  crowded  into  this  shed 
spent  the  first  night  there,  while  the  others  pitched 
their  shelter  tents  or  wrapped  themselves  up  in  their 
blankets  and  crawled  into  a  cart  or  the  old  mill. 
There  was  another  small  building,  but  this  was  used 
as  guard  headquarters.  The  band  and  non-commis 
sioned  staff  established  their  mess  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  house. 

As  soon  as  the  men  reached  shore,  a  strong  guard 
was  placed  around  the  new  camp.  The  exercise  of 
the  march  from  the  shore  to  the  site  of  the  camp  wore 
off  the  sea  sickness  and  the  first  thing  the  men  did 
when  they  had  secured  quarters  for  the  night  was  to 
look  for  something  to  eat.  Fires  were  kindled  and 
coffee  was  ground.  Vessels  of  every  description 
were  put  to  use  and  before  any  one  was  hardly  aware, 


138  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  whole  plantation  was  filled  with  the  invigorating 
odor  of  coffee.  Cans  of  beans,  tomatoes  and  beef 
were  opened  and  actually  cooked,  and  while  this  was 
not  the  diet  the  appetites  of  the  boys  really  craved, 
it  was  nevertheless  most  tempting  food  when  it  was 
heated  and  thoroughly  cooked  to  be  served  to  men 
who  had  lived  on  cold  rations  for  almost  a  week.  Be 
fore  morning  a  pig  and  a  calf  and  several  other  ani 
mals  died  in  a  very  mysterious  way  and  fresh  meat 
formed  a  part  of  the  breakfast  of  some.  Strict  orders 
were  at  once  issued  against  foraging,  and  indeed  dur 
ing  all  the  time  the  regiment  was  on  the  island  there 
was  very  little  if  any  thieving  done,  at  least  by  the 
members  of  the  Fourth  Ohio. 

As  soon  as  the  routine  of  camp  work  was  com 
pleted,  the  men  were  permitted  to  go  to  Arroyo. 
There  the  little  provision  stores  suddenly  experienced 
a  flood  of  prosperity  they  had  never  seen  before.  The 
British  consul  at  Arroyo  exchanged  the  American 
money  for  the  soldiers  for  the  native  Porto  Rican 
coin  at  the  rate  of  two  pesos  for  one  dollar.  At  the 
stores  could  be  bought  eggs,  fresh  bread,  cheese  made 
of  goats'  milk,  Spanish  sausage,  wines  of  every  age 
and  variety,  cigars,  tobacco  that  no  American  could 
use  and  dried  vegetables.  At  the  market  places  were 
offered  for  sale  at  what  to  Americans  seemed  phenom 
enally  small  prices,  cocoa  nuts,  oranges,  bananas, 
limes,  mangoes  and  other  tropical  fruits,  although  it 
was  the  advice  of  the  surgeons  that  none  of  this  be 
used.  The  advice  was  not  heeded  altogether,  but 
it  must  be  said  that  the  men  were  very  temperate  in 
the  use  of  the  native  fruits  and  vegetables  and  as  a 
consequence,  there  were  no  evil  results. 


THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I.  139 


CHAPTEE  X. 


THE  FOURTH  UNDER  FIRE. 

Arroyo— The  People  and  Climate— First  Day  in  Camp- 
Native  Cigarettes— A  Practice  March— Orders  from 
General  Haines — Fresh  Beef  Issue — Accident  to  Colonel 
Coit — Major  Speaks  Takes  Advance— Military  Terms 
Explained — A  Frenchman's  Information — A  Funeral 
"Procession" — The  House  "To  the  left" — Sergeant  Rad- 
cliffe's  Ride — Under  Fire — Spanish  Bullets  and  Spanish 
Marksmanship — Effect  of  Spanish  Fire — Effect  of 
American  Fire' — Line  of  Battle  Formed — Unjust  Re 
ports—Spaniards  Retreat— Capture  of  Guayama— The 
Flag  Raising — The  Spaniards  Rally — Dynamite  Guns  in 
Action — First  Night  in  Guayama. 

Arroyo  was  found  to  be  a  village  of  about  three 
hundred  people  who  depended  for  their  living,  such 
as  it  was,  upon  the  work  afforded  by  the  near-by 
plantations  and  by  loading  freighting  vessels  by 
means  of  the  lighters  which  were  used  in  transporting 
the  regiment  from  the  St.  Paul  to  the  shore.  The 
village  and  the  natives  made  a  combination  that  only 
one  man  in  the  regiment  had  ever  seen  before.  He 
was  corporal  Ed.  O.  Thompson,  whose  home  was  in 
South  America,  but  who  had  graduated  from  Ohio 
Wesleyan  university  at  Delaware  just  before  the  war. 
He  could  read,  write  and  speak  the  Spanish  language 
very  fluently  and  he  was  at  once  made  regimental  in 
terpreter.  Another  member  of  the  regiment  whose 
lingual  accomplishments  stood  him  and  the  whole 
regiment  in  good  stead  was  Private,  afterwards 
"Corporal"  Will  Markeson.  The  service  rendered 


140  THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

by  these  two  men  were  especially  valuable,  not  only 
to  themselves  and  the  regiment,  but  to  the  cause  of 
the  United  States  in  Porto  Rico  as  well. 

The  houses  at  Arroyo,  and  in  fact  all  over  the 
island,  are  the  typical  low,  flat-roofed  cottages  of 
Spanish  countries.  Houses  were  occasionally  built 
high,  but  in  most  cases  of  this  kind  there  were  but  two 
stories,  the  lower  floor  being  a  sort  of  surface  base 
ment.  This  part  of  the  family  residence  was  de 
voted  to  the  use  of  the  goats,  chickens,  ponies  and 
other  family  animals.  The  people  were  of  all  imag 
inable  shades  of  complexion,  from  the  mythical  black 
to  the  fairest.  All  spoke  Spanish  or  French,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  natives  of  the  island  of  St.  Thomas, 
formerly  an  English  possession.  These  were  all 
negroes,  but  they  served  with  some  degree  of  satisfac 
tion  as  interpreters. 

Although  the  latitude  is  considerably  nearer  the 
equator  than  any  point  at  which  most  of  the  men  had 
ever  reached,  the  climate  was  not  nearly  so  hot  as  had 
often  been  experienced  within  the  borders  of  the 
United  States,  and  with  a  constant  sea  breeze  stirring, 
the  weather  was  fairly  comfortable,  provided  one  re 
mained  in  the  shade.  Surrounding  many  of  the 
houses  were  beautiful  flower  gardens,  and  the  frag 
rance  from  the  plants  gave  the  air  a  pleasant  odor 
which  added  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  day  in  camp. 

The  first  day  in  camp  was  passed  for  the  most 
part  in  sight  seeing.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  enemy  was  known  to  be  in  almost  firing  distance, 
the  brigade  officers  were  very  lenient  as  to  restrictions, 


THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     7.  141 

and  with  the  exception  of  strong  picket  lines  and  out 
posts,  there  were  few  strict  camp  orders  given.  It 
was  the  wish  of  the  officers  that  the  men  be  given  an 
opportunity  to  completely  rest  up  from  their  long 
ocean  voyage  and  to  prepare  for  the  hazardous  work 
before  them. 

The  camp  on  Thursday  night  was  more  com 
fortable  than  it  had  been  the  previous  night,  the  sol 
diers  having  had  a  better  opportunity  to  arrange  mat 
ters.  With  fires  and  the  additional  rations  that  could 
be  purchased  from  the  native  market,  existence  was 
much  sweeter  than  it  had  been  aboard  the  St.  Paul. 

One  of  the  most  popular  novelties  of  the  new 
surroundings  was  the  native  cigarette.  They  were 
found  to  be  stronger  and  of  an  entirely  different  flavor 
than  the  American  article,  but  strange  to  say,  many 
of  the  users  of  this  form  of  narcotic  learned  to  prefer 
them  to  the  "coffin  nails"  of  their  native  land. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  boys  were  told  to 
pack  up  all  their  personal  baggage  and  each  one  was 
given  two  days'  travel  rations.  All  that  was  said 
in  explanation  to  this  was  that  there  was  to  be  a 
practice  march  much  the  same  as  those  at  Camp 
Thomas,  but  embracing  more  time  and  territory. 

At  regimental  headquarters,  however,  the  fol 
lowing  communication  had  been  received: 

Arroyo,  Porto  Rico,  Aug.  5,  1898. 
Colonel  Coit,  Fourth  Ohio: 

You  will  move  out  your  command  toward 
Guayama  as  soon  as  you  are  ready.  Have  your  ad- 


142  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     /. 

vance  guard  well  ahead  and  keep  point  well  in  ad 
vance  of  support.  Two  of  the  Sims-Dudley  guns 
will  follow  your  regiment  well  closed  up.  They 
should  not  take  more  than  sixty  rounds  to  the  gun. 
Be  careful  to  keep  a  good  lookout  on  each  flank. 
Your  flank  should  be  double  the  ordinary  number. 
Keep  me  posted  as  to  progress.  I  will  be  on  the  road. 
The  Third  Illinois  will  support  your  movement. 

P.  C.  HAINES, 
Brigadier  General. 

About  the  time  the  regiment  left  camp,  a  load 
of  fresh  beef  arrived  from  one  of  the  supply  ships 
which  lay  in  the  harbor  at  Arroyo.  Company  F, 
which  did  not  leave  at  the  same  time  as  did  the  main 
column  of  the  regiment,  was  given  charge  of  this 
issue,  with  the  understanding  that  teams  be  secured 
and  the  supply  forwarded  to  the  regiment  at  its  first 
camp. 

The  start  for  the  "practice"  march  was  not  made 
as  early  in  the  day  as  had  been  expected  on  account 
of  several  unavoidable  but  unimportant  delays.  The 
regiment  was  formed,  however,  in  due  time,  so  that 
before  8  o'clock  the  rear  of  the  column  left  the  Arroyo 
camp.  Instead  of  going  east  to  take  the  main  road, 
General  Haines  directed  that  the  regiment  follow  a 
plantation  trail  which  lead  in  a  northwesterly  direc 
tion  to  a  point  in  the  road  leading  to  Guayama,  the 
capital  of  the  province  of  Guayama.  This  province 
embraced  that  portion  of  central  Porto  Rico  which 
extended  along  the  southern  coast. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  143 

The  appearance  of  the  regiment  as  it  started 
across  the  field  was  not  unlike  that  presented  at  Camp 
Thomas  except  the  mounts  of  the  field  and  staff  of 
ficers.  The  horses  belonging  to  the  regiment  and  to 
all  the  officers  had  been  sent  on  another  transport  and 
had  not  yet  reached  the  regiment.  They  had  landed, 
however,  but  they  were  at  Ponce  at  the  time  now  re 
ferred  to.  There  are  no  large  horses  in  the  island,  but 
there  is  a  small  Spanish  pony,  and  on  these  boney 
creatures  the  officers  mounted,  their  feet  extending 
almost  to  the  ground. 

During  the  night  of  August  4th  a  battery  of 
Pennsylvania  artillery  had  arrived  and  gone  into 
camp  a  short  distance  from  the  Fourth  Ohio,  and  as 
the  latter  regiment  was  moving  along  toward  the  main 
road  mentioned  above,  the  artillerymen  were  leading 
their  horses  across  the  field  to  a  nearby  stream  for 
water.  Colonel  Coit  started  to  ride  his  pony  around 
one  of  these  horses,  but  while  he  was  doing  so  the  ar 
tillery  horse  kicked  at  the  pony  and  the  hoof  struck 
the  colonel  on  the  leg.  The  blow  was  a  severe  one 
and  the  colonel  had  to  be  lifted  down  from  his  little 
steed.  He  ordered  the  regiment  to  proceed,  however, 
and  Major  Speaks  of  the  First  Battalion  assumed 
temporary  command  of  the  regiment.  A  surgeon  was 
hastily  summoned  from  the  artillery  camp  to  attend 
Colonel  Coit,  but  Major  Semeans,  the  regimental 
surgeon,  also  appeared  on  the  scene.  It  was  seen  that 
the  injury  sustained  to  the  colonel's  leg  might  prove 
serious  and  he  was  advised  to  return  to  Arroyo,  but 
he  refused  to  do  so,  and  followed  the  regiment,  assum 
ing  personal  command  a  few  hours  later. 


144  TBE     FOVRTB     O.     V.     1. 


REFERENCE   MARKS. 

SO      Cemetery. 

<>      First  camp  in  Porto  Rico. 

t       Point  at  which  extreme  "point"  of  ad 
vance  guard  was  first  fired  upon. 

+      Position   of    "C"   Company    when'   flr^ 
opened. 

-|-  Position  main  column  when  fire  opened 

JL  "  A  "  Company  deployed  lines. 

Q  "C"  Company  deployed  lines. 

Q  *•  B  '*  Company  deployed  lines. 

^  '•  I  "  Company  deployed  lines. 

Q|  "  E  "  Company  deployed  lines- 

•  »  Dynamite  Gun's  position. 

J  Qut  Posts  (Fourth  Ohio.) 

(-}  Out  Posts  iThird  Illinois.  ) 


Positions  of  Companies  "D."  "G,"  UK 
and  UL." 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  145 

As  soon  as  the  regiment  reached  the  main  road,  it 
was  halted  and  Major  Speaks  reported  to  General 
Haines,  who  had  been  waiting.  The  general  directed 
that  one  company  act  as  advance  guard  and  that 
Major  Speaks  assume  personal  charge  of  this  duty. 
Company  A  was  at  once  designated  to  take  the  ad 
vance  and  it  proceeded  several  hundred  yards  in  ad 
vance  of  the  main  column. 

A  Company  had  not  proceeded  far  until  Major 
Speaks  directed  that  with  loaded  pieces  "flankers"  and 
a  "point"  be  thrown  out.  For  the  benefit  of  those 
readers  who  know  nothing  of  military  matters  it  is 
explained  that  "flankers"  are.  detachments  of  troops 
deployed  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  of  advancing 
columns  to  discover  anything  that  might  impede  the 
progress  of  the  advancing  column,  whether  it  be  a 
large  stream,  a  fortification  or  an  enemy.  The 
"point"  is  the  extreme  advance  or  "head"  of  the  ad 
vancing  column.  When  a  line  of  battle  is  formed, 
however,  the  presence  and  in  most  cases  the  exact  lo 
cation  of  the  enemy  is  known  and  of  course  there  is. 
no  need  of  an  advance  or  skirmish  line  to  locate  him 
or  to  determine  in  any  way  his  strength. 

As  the  line  of  march  was  followed,  all  natives 
were  closely  questioned  either  by  means  of  signs  or 
through  interpreters  as  to  the  location  of  the  Spanish 
forces.  It  is  a  fact,  surprising  perhaps  to  most  read 
ers,  that  it  was  really  not  expected  that  there  was  at 
that  time  an  enemy  of  any  consequence  within  any 
significant  distance. 

After  an  advance  of  perhaps  a  mile  had  been 
made,  the  flankers  were  strengthened  in  numbers  and 


140  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

C  Company  was  brought  forward  to  serve  as  support 
of  the  advance.  C  Company  advanced  within  about 
500  yards  of  A  Company  and  at  about  the  same  dis 
tance  in  advance  of  the  main  column,  at  that  time 
consisting  of  B  Company  of  the  First  Battalion  and 
E  and  I  of  the  Second  and  the  whole  of  the  Third 
Battalion. 

When  this  disposition  of  the  advance  had  been 
made,  the  march  was  pushed  with  considerably  more 
caution  than  had  been  hitherto  observed.  Finally  a 
house  was  reached,  over  which  the  colors  of  the 
French  nation  were  flying.  The  occupant  of  the 
house  spoke  English,  but  with  a  strong  French  ac 
cent,  and  in  his  characteristic  way  explained  to  Major 
Speaks  and  Captain  Wilson  that  the  Spaniards  would 
be  found  in  trenches  about  two  thousand  yards  fur 
ther  up  the  road.  Their  position,  he  said,  could  be 
distinguished  by  the  presence  of  a  cluster  of  trees 
bearing  red  blossoms. 

There  were  only  a  few  soldiers  besides  the  officers 
mentioned  who  had  any  knowledge  of  the  information 
gained  here,  but  those  who  were  not  had  very  strong 
suspicions  that  something  was  going  to  happen  when 
they  saw  the  preparation  for  trouble  going  on  about 
them.  The  flankers  were  warned  to  proceed  cau 
tiously  and  they  were  advised  as  to  the  carrying  of 
their  pieces,  barrels  and  magazines  loaded.  The  ex 
treme  advance  was  again  strengthened  and  the  line 
lengthened  so  that  the  whole  of  Company  A  was  now 
in  the  skirmish  line,  the  extreme  right  extending  as 
far  as  the  hills  to  the  right  of  the  road,  a  distance  of 
.3  bout  three-quarters  of  a  mile. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  147 

A  short  distance  beyond  the  house  where  the 
Frenchman  gave  the  important  information  as  to  the 
position  of  the  enemy,  a  strange  experience  was 
gained  by  those  in  the  road.  It  was  the  first  time  for 
them  to  witness  a  Porto  Kican  funeral  procession. 
The  corpse  in  this  instance  was  a  small  child;  the 
casket  which  contained  the  remains  was  a  rude  wood 
en  box  and  the  bier  was  the  shoulder  of  the  father. 
Several  half -dressed  natives  followed  on  behind  jab 
bering  away  in  their  native  tongue  at  a  rate  too  lively 
to  characterize  any  sorrow  by  any  means.  The  party 
had  passed  the  regiment,  and  not  having  the  slightest 
idea  that  it  was  a  funeral  procession,  the  attention  of 
the  officers  was  not  attracted  to  it.  They  were  going 
in  the  direction  of  Guayama,  the  town  which  lay  at  the 
end  of  the  proposed  march,  and  not  thinking  it  advis 
able  for  any  one  to  go  ahead  to  inform  the  enemy,  if 
indeed  one  existed,  as  to  the  approach  of  the  regiment, 
the  party  was  halted.  They  made  a  series  of  inco 
herent  exclamations  and  doubled  themselves  up  so 
hysterically  in  making  signs  that  the  officers  in  charge 
of  the  advance  asked  them  in  the  wordless  language 
to  open  the  box.  They  did  so  and  there  was  exposed  to 
view  a  sight  which  none  who  witnessed  it  will  ever  for 
get  If  any  had  entertained  doubts  as  to  the  fact  that 
the  men  composed  a  funeral  party,  those  doubts  were 
removed  more  forcibly  than  eloquently  when  they 
saw  the  half  decomposed  body  of  the  child. 

Some  of  those  officers  had  little  ones  in  their  own 
homes  and  they  easily  considered  the  sorrow  of  the 
broken-hearted  mother  who  had  spared  this  little  one, 


148  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

and  the  funeral  was  permitted  to  proceed,  with  strict 
orders  to  tell  no  one  what  they  had  seen  on  the  road. 
It  was  evident  from  the  expression  of  their  faces  and 
the  signs  made  by  the  men  that  they  promised  not  to 
say  anything,  but  they  evidently  did  not  redeem  their 
promises,  for  when  the  "point77  reached  the  Spanish 
outposts,  it  was  given  a  reception  that  showed  that  the 
enemy  knew  just  about  where  and  when  the  advance, 
would  reach  the  most  desirable  point  for  firing  pur 
poses. 

Passing  on  toward  Guayama  a  few  rods,  Captain 
Wilson  called  the  attention  of  Major  Speaks  to  a  party 
of  people  near  a  house  to  the  left  of  the  road.  It  was 
but  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  main  road  and 
opposite  a  point  about  one  hundred  rods  in  advance  of 
where  the  "point"  had  then  reached.  The  party 
seemed  to  be  composed  of  people  dressed  in  white  and 
they  appeared  at  that  distance  to  be  women.  Field 
glasses  were  trained  on  the  spot,  but  nothing  definite 
could  be  made  out.  Finally  convincing  himself  that 
the  party  was  not  one  of  Spanish  soldiers,  the  major 
directed  Regimental  Sergeant  Major  Radcliffe  to  ride 
across  to  the  house  and  see  what  was  there  and  to  get 
any  information  he  might  be  able  to  gather.  It  was 
the  sergeant's  birthday  anniversary,  and  he  did  not 
consider  the  presentation  of  this  order  as  very  com 
plimentary  to  the  occasion,  but  he  went  over,  think 
ing  as  he  did  so  of  the  many  good  times  he  had  had 
back  in  Ohio  and  wondering  if  history  in  Ohio  would 
ever  repeat  itself. 

He  rode  towards  the  house,  but  the  first  informa 
tion  he  received  was  from  observation,  for  he  rode 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  149 

through  the  party  of  "women/'  who  in  that  case  were 
goats.  There  were  some  people  at  the  house,  however, 
and  from  these  he  learned  that  there  were  Spanish  sol 
diers  at  Guayama.  While  Sergeant  Radcliffe  was 
making  this  reconnoiter,  the  point  of  the  advance  was 
ascending  a  gentle  slope  just  west  of  a  small  stream. 
There  was  a  culvert  across  the  stream  at  the  road  and 
the  major  and  those  with  him  had  just  reached  this 
point.  The  culvert  was  undergoing  repairs  at  the 
time  and  was  temporarily  out  of  use,  but  a  by-road 
led  into  the  field  at  the  right  and  out  again  to  the  road 
a  few  rods  across  the  stream. 

Just  about  the  time  Sergeant  Radcliffe  returned 
from  his  little  trip,  and  about  the  time  the  point  had 
reached  the  top  of  the  slope  and  the  officers  and 
party  had  reached  the  point  where  the  road  parted  into 
the  field,  a  sharp  crack  was  heard  from  the  top  of  the 
hill.  An  instant  later  a  shrill  whirring  noise  was 
heard  in  the  air,  directly  overhead;  this  was  succeeded 
by  another  and  then  in  rapid  succession  a  score  of 
other  sharp  reports,  followed  by  the  whirring,  singing 
noise. 

Several  members  of  the  point  had  advanced  so 
far  beyond  the  crest  of  the  hill  that  they  could  plainly 
see  about  fifty  Spanish  soldiers,  in  position  to  defend 
the  approach  to  the  city.  It  did  not  require  a  long- 
drawn  out  discussion  by  any  means  to  determine  what 
the  noises  were  and  it  did  not  require  an  eloquent 
appeal  for  the  men  to  dodge  behind  trees,  rocks  and 
cactus  bushes.  It  was  the  report  of  the  deadly 
Mauser  that  the  boys  had  heard  and  the  disturbances 


150  TEE     FOURTH     O.     T.     I. 

in  the  air  were  made  by  the  leaden  messengers  that 
had  called  home  the  sons  of  Columbia  at  Santiago  a 
few  brief  weeks  before. 

Just  who  was  the  object  of  the  first  fire,  will 
probably  never  be  known,  but  whoever  he  was  may 
congratulate  himself  upon  the  fact  that  the  Spaniard 
who  fired  it  was  not  an  expert  at  the  use  of  the  rifle, 
for  not  a  member  of  the  advance  guard  was  struck  at 
any  time.  The  honor  of  firing  the  first  shot  at  the 
enemy,  however,  is  laid  claim  to  by  Private  Charles 
Hughey,  a  member  of  the  point  who  had  reached 
the  hilltop. 

The  members  of  this  squad  returned  the  fire  of 
the  Spaniards  and  then  slowly  retreated  to  the  culvert 
referred  to  before.  Every  one  present  as  a  matter 
of  course  sought  shelter  and  then  a  steady  fire  was 
poured  into  the  place  where  the  enemy  was  supposed 
to  be.  This  was  a  matter  which  had  to  be  guessed  aty 
for  there  was  not  a  Spanish  soldier  in  sight,  and  as  they 
used  smokeless  powder,  there  was  nothing  to  mark 
their  position.  It  was  reasoned  that  inasmuch  as  the 
bullets  were  whizzing  either  directly  over  the  heads 
of  the  men  or  striking  the  gravel  in  their  immediate 
vicinity,. and  that  while  they  were  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  those  who  were  firing  were  surely  somewhere  at 
the  top,  certainly  not  behind  the  ridge.  The  order 
was,  therefore,  to  shoot  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  or  at 
any  object  that  might  be  used  as  shelter  for  a  lurking 
Spaniard. 

As  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the  Spaniards  were 
overshooting  their  mark,  if  indeed  they  were  shooting 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     /.  15! 

at  the  Americans  nearest  to  them,  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  mentioned  before  that  not  a  single  member 
of  the  extreme  advance  was  wounded.  Private  John 
O.  Cordner,  however,  a  member  of  Company  C,  the 
command  which  was  now  acting  as  support  to  the 
advance  guard,  was  wounded  in  the  right  knee.  The 
ball  passed  directly  through  the  limb,  without  strik 
ing  any  bone,  but  at  the  time  the  regiment  was  mus 
tered  out  of  the  service  of  the  United  States  the 
wound  had  not  entirely  healed.  About  the  same 
time  Clarence  W.  Riffle,  a  private  in  A.  Company  was 
struck  by  a  Mauser,  the  bullet  passing  through  the 
fleshy  part  of  both  legs.  His  wound,  like  that  of 
Private  Cordner,  was  not  healed  at  the  time  he  was 
discharged. 

After  the  firing  had  been  kept  up  for  about  a 
half  hour  or  from  a  few  minutes  after  10  to  10:30, 
Major  Speaks  directed  that  the  men  begin  to  advance 
toward  the  hill,  keeping  under  cover  all  the  time  as 
much  as  possible.  The  boys  had  occupied  snug  posi 
tions  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  in  the  culvert  and  at 
other  convenient  places,  but  now  they  began  one  at 
a  time  to  get  bolder  and  to  creep  along  the  edge  of  the 
ditch  at  the  roadside,  toward  the  top  of  the  hill. 
Major  Speaks,  Captain  Wilson  and  Lieutenant 
Krumm  had  but  one  order  to  issue  and  that  was  to 
"keep  quiet."  "They  are  just  afraid  of  us,  boys,  as 
we  are  of  them,"  encouraged  the  major,  "so  just  be 
careful  and  pump  it  in  to  them."  The  boys  certainly 
"pumped  it  in"  and  at  a  rate  entirely  too  lively  for 
the  personal  comfort  of  the  Spaniards  at  the  top  of  the 


152  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I 

hill,  for  they  retreated  toward  the  town  as  rapidly  as 
the  men  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  approached  them. 
When  the  top  of  the  hill  was  finally  reached,  there 
were  no  Spaniards  in  view,  and  they  had  ceased  firing 
entirely. 

Here  Lieutenants  Modie  and  Grandstaff  of  A 
Company,  who  had  remained  in  command  of  their 
platoons,  were  called  in  and  word  was  taken  back  to 
Colonel  Coit  and  General  Haines,  informing  them  of 
what  had  been  done  thus  far.  A  Company  had  acted 
as  advance,  C  as  support  and  B  as  reserve.  F  Com 
pany  had  followed  with  the  dynamite  guns  and  the 
entire  First  Battalion  had  thus  been  engaged.  There 
were  but  two  companies  left  of  the  Second  Battalion, 
I  and  E,  the  remaining  two,  H  and  M,  having  been 
left  aboard  the  St.  Paul  to  take  charge  of  the  unload 
ing.  What  was  left  of  the  Second  Battalion  was  sent 
to  the  advance  under  Major  Baker,  with  instructions 
from  General  Haines  for  Major  Speaks  to  depend  en 
tirely  upon  his  own  judgment  for  the  disposition  of 
these  five  companies.  The  Third  Battalion,  under 
command  of  Major  Sellers  was  thus  left  to  act  as  the 
support  of  the  firing  line,  the  Third  Illinois  Regiment, 
in  command  of  Colonel  Bennit,  acting  as  reserve  to  the 
whole.  This  was  the  only  part  played  by  the  Illinois 
regiment  in  the  capture  of  the  city  of  Guayama,  yet 
in  nearly  all  the  accounts  sent  at  the  time  to  the 
Eastern  press,  the  Third  Illinois  received  as  much 
credit  as  did  the  Fourth  Ohio.  One  correspondent 
stated  that  Guayama  had  been  captured  by  "the  Third 
Illinois,  assisted  by  the  Fourth  Ohio." 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  153 

Major  Speaks  at  once  decided  to  make  a  strong 
move  toward  the  city.  He  realized  that  with  that 
number  of  troops  it  would  be  impossible  to  surround 
the  city,  especially  when  the  strength  of  the  enemy 
was  not  known  and  when  there  were  no  means  of 
gaining  that  information.  The  first  move  was  to 
form  a  firing  line  and  B  Company,  under  Captain 
White  was  ordered  into  the  field  to  the  right.  As 
soon  as  this  company  had  taken  the  position  to  be  oc 
cupied  in  the  line,  C  Company  was  sent  out,  to  extend 
its  line  from  the  right  of  the  road  to  the  left  of  B 
Company.  I  Company  was  sent  over  to  act  as  sup 
port  of  B  Company  and  to  extend  its  right  as  far  as 
the  portion  of  A  Company,  which  had  gone  as  a  flank 
ing  detachment  into  the  hills  at  the  right  of  the  road. 
What  was  left  of  A  Company  and  E  Company  was 
then  ordered  to  the  left  of  the  road  and  the  advance 
was  begun. 

While  this  preparation  was  going  on,  the  Spanish 
outposts  were  reinforced.  From  the  top  of  the  ca 
thedral  in  Guayama,  the  Spaniards  could  see  every 
movement  made  by  the  regiment,  but  as  they  were 
concealed  in  the  bushes  of  cactus,  palms  and  other 
thick  tropical  foliage,  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  the 
American  soldiers  to  learn  the  position  of  the  Span 
iards  except  from  the  sound  of  the  bullets  or  the  re 
port  of  their  pieces. 

The  advance  was  made  under  extreme  difficulties. 
There  were  sharp  cacti,  thick  underbrush,  swamps, 
barbed  wire  fences  and  defenses  to  surmount,  and  in 
fact  everything  possible  to  impede  the  advance  of  the 


154  THE     FOURTH     0.     T7.     /. 

regiment,  jet  the  line  pushed  slowly  on,  pouring  as 
it  proceeded,  a  most  deadly  fire  into  the  town  and  into 
the  brakes  where  the  enemy  was  supposed  to  be  con 
cealed.  On  not  more  than  two  or  three  occasions 
was  the  enemy  seen  at  all,  and  when  they  were  seen, 
their  backs  were  toward  the  Fourth  Ohio.  In  the  ad 
vance  on  the  town,  there  was  but  one  man  wounded. 
He  was  Stewart  Mercer  of  E  Company,  but  the  wound 
was  but  a  slight  one.  One  B  Company  man  had  the 
sight  shot  from  his  gun,  others  had  holes  shot  through 
their  hats  and  other  strange  things  to  happen  them,  but 
miraculous  as  it  seems,  there  was  not  a  man  lost  and 
only  three  wounded. 

It  was  not  a  difficult  task  to  dispose  of  the  enemy, 
but  the  work  of  pushing  through  the  fields  was  a  seri 
ous  task  and  the  progress  was  slow.  The  Spaniards 
kept  up  a  serious  fire,  but  they  seemed  to  be  retreating 
all  the  time.  After  they  were  driven  into  the  town, 
instead  of  taking  a  firm  stand,  when  the  circumstances 
were  even  more  in  their  favor  than  they  had  been  be 
fore  in  the  field,  they  retreated  on  through  to  the  hills 
beyond,  leaving  the  town  to  the  mercy  of  the  invaders. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  regiment  really  knew 
that  the  town  was  theirs.  When  the  advance  through 
the  fields  to  the  outskirts  had  been  made,  and  when 
some  of  the  suburban  streets  had  been  reached,  the  ad 
vance  was  more  rapid.  When  it  was  seen  that  the 
Spanish  fire  had  again  subsided,  Major  Speaks  ordered 
a  halt.  This  was  at  the  very  edge  of  the  town  and  he 
did  not  feel  justified  in  leading  the  men  into  the 
streets  to  be  shot  down  from  the  housetops  and  win- 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  155 

dows  without  reconnoitering  the  situation,  but  at  this 
juncture  Colonel  Coit  arrived  on  the  scene  and  re 
sumed  command  of  the  regiment.  The  colonel  was 
suffering  intense  pain  at  that  time,  the  result  of  the 
kick  by  the  horse,  and  indeed  had  he  heeded  the  ad 
vice  of  the  surgeons  and  his  friends  he  would  not  have 
accompanied  the  command  at  all. 

The  colonel  determined  to  allow  the  men  to  take 
a  brief  rest  and  then  to  go  into  the  town,  and  moving 
quickly  through  the  streets,  he  hoped  to  escape  serious 
loss  and  to  reach  the  other  edge  of  the  city,  thus 
catching  the  Spaniards  in  their  own  trap.  But  in  this 
case,  plans  of  conquest  were  useless,  for  the  enemy 
had  gone.  Before  the  start  was  made,  a  window  was 
seen  to  raise  and  a  head  to  peep  out  from  behind  a 
wooden  shutter.  A  dozen  rifles  were  leveled  at  the 
window,  but  a  gesture  from  the  colonel  lowered  them. 
In  another  moment  another  window  opened  and 
another  head  was  exposed  to  view.  Then  another 
shutter  was  pushed  slowly  open  and  finally  not  only 
heads  but  shoulders  were  seen.  Finally  hands  began 
to  waive  and  signs  to  be  made,  but  no  one  knew 
whether  these  signs  were  friendly  signals  to  approach 
or  whether  they  were  evil  designs  of  the  enemy  to 
lure  the  regiment  into  the  streets  to  be  massacred. 
Finally  a  man  walked  out  upon  the  roof  of  a  house 
waving  a  white  handkerchief,  and  other  natives  ap 
peared  on  the  streets.  This  was  considered  unmis 
takable  evidence  that  there  was  no  more  danger  and 
the  march  into  the  city  was  begun. 

Colonel  Coit  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
Third  battalion  and  marched  rapidly  into  the  streets. 


156  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  companies  that  had  been  out  in  the  firing  line 
resumed  their  advance,  through  houses,  across  lots  and 
over  fences,  all  in  a  mad  race  to  reach  the  center  of  the 
city  first.  The  honor  of  reaching  the  plaza  first  is 
claimed  by  several.  There  is  no  official  report  decid 
ing  the  matter,  and  it  is  not  the  intention  to  take  up 
the  question  here,  but  the  man  who  first  set  his  foot 
on  the  property  of  the  crown  of  Spain  in  the  public 
square  of  the  city  of  Guayama,  must  certainly  have 
experienced  the  proudest  moment  of  his  life. 

Whoever  he  was,  he  did  not  stand  there  alone 
many  seconds,  for  the  Third  Battalion  on  the  one  side 
and  the  other  two  from  the  other  sides  were  madly 
rushing  toward  the  colors,  and  in  less  time  than  is  re 
quired  to  record  it,  the  whole  regiment  was  assembled 
in  front  of  the  Capitol  of  the  province  of  Guayama. 
Everybody  cheered  as  he  went  and  everybody  con 
tinued  to  cheer  when  he  had  reached  the  square.  The 
regiment  had  done  excellent  work,  every  man  in  it 
had  helped  to  do  the  work,  and  every  one  of  them  had 
a  right  to  cheer. 

But  all  the  cheering  of  that  day  was  not  done  by 
the  men  of  the  Fourth  Ohio.  There  were  others  there 
who  had  still  better  reason  than  they  to  raise  the  voice 
which  God  had  given  them,  to  cheer  the  final  freedom 
which  He  had  sent  them.  It  was  a  happy  day  in  the 
history  of  that  quaint  little  city.  Men  cheered  and 
women  cried;  children  ran  like  wild  creatures,  shout 
ing  as  loud  as  their  little  throats  would  permit,  "Vivan 
los  Americanos."  Their  happiness  knew  no  bounds 
and  no  one  attempted  to  restrain  their  demonstrations. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  157 

They  kissed  the  hands  of  their  deliverers  and  fell  at 
their  feet  to  worship  them.  They  opened  wide  the 
doors  of  their  homes  and  the  best  of  the  land  was  of 
fered  in  honor  of  the  great  event.  As  soon  as  it  was 
possible  to  reach  the  top  of  the  Capitol  the  regimental 
colors  were  planted  there,  and  Gruayama  was  no  longer 
a  Spanish  province,  but  an  American  colony. 

The  ceremony  of  raising  the  American  flag  over 
the  captured  city  was  probably  not  attended  with  the 
eclat  that  would  have  been  given  it  under  different 
circumstances.  The  band  had  been  drilled  in  the 
duties  of  the  hospital  corps  and  the  band  men  had 
done  excellent  service  in  carrying  litters  and  perform 
ing  other  work  usually  devolving  upon  the  hospital 
corps  all  day.  Their  instruments  had  been  left  at 
Arroyo,  hence  all  the  music  there  was  to  add  joy  to 
the  already  joyous  occasion  was  the  music  of  the  little 
birds  that  seemed  to  take  up  the  glad  song  of  victory 
and  of  freedom,  and  of  the  men,  women  and  children 
who  joined  in  one  glad  refrain. 

The  flag  was  carried  to  the  top  of  the  building  by 
the  regular  color  guard.  Those  who  were  present 
and  who  helped  to  fasten  the  starry  banner  to  the  staff 
were  Captain  M.  L.  Wilson,  regimental  adjutant; 
Sergeant  Major  Frank  C.  Radcliffe,  Color  Sergeant 
McDonald,  Color  Guards  Alger  of  Company  H,  Cor 
poral  Thrall  of  Company  A  and  T  Darte  Walker,  cor 
respondent  to  "Harper's  Weekly." 

While  the  regiment  was  assembled  the  "alcalde" 
or  mayor  of  the  town,  through  an  interpreter,  made 
an  address  of  welcome  to  the  American  soldiers. 


158  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  interpreter  on  this  occasion  was  Emanuel  Lucin- 
arius,  a  gentleman  who  had  been  educated  in  the 
United  States,  who  understood  the  English  language 
and  spoke  it  fluently,  and  who  afterwards  proved  to 
be  a  very  useful  friend  to  the  regiment  and  to  its 
officers. 

Colonel  Coit  also  took  advantage  of  this,  the  first 
opportunity,  to  thank  the  members  of  the  regiment 
for  their  excellent  work,  and  to  congratulate  them 
upon  the  victory  of  the  day,  but  he  had  hardly  gotten 
the  words  from  his  lips  when  the  whirring  of  the  bul 
lets  was  again  heard,  and  it  was  soon  learned  that  the 
flag  was  the  object  of  renewed  firing.  This  was  kept 
up  for  a  few  moments  when  a  still  greater  danger 
developed.  Investigation  showed  that  all  the  Span 
iards  had  not  left  the  town  and  that  those  who  had 
remained  were  doing  what  had  been  expected  they 
would  do,  i.  e.,  fire  upon  the  men  from  the  houses. 

Colonel  Coit  closed  that  address  more  abruptly 
than  any  he  had  ever  closed  before  in  his  life.  He  at 
once  ordered  the  Third  Battalion  to  the  northwest 
part  of  the  town  to  repel  any  attack  that  might  be 
made.  It  was  well  that  this  was  done  and  that  it 
was  done  as  soon  as  it  was,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that 
had  this  part  of  the  city  been  left  unprotected,  the 
hard  work  of  the  day  would  have  been  for  naught 
As  it  was,  tLe  Spaniards  had  returned  to  within  range 
of  the  city  and  they  were  firing  at  the  town  at  a  lively 
rate  when  the  Third  Battalion  arrived  on  the  scene. 

Unfortunately  little  provision  had  been  made  for 
the  dynamite  guns.  There  were  no  horses  and  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  159 

guns  had  to  be  dragged  along  the  road  by  the  men 
themselves.  They  did  not  reach  the  scene  of  action 
in  time  to  be  turned  upon  the  town,  but  they  came  in 
for  an  important  part  in  the  defense  of  the  city  after 
it  was  captured.  The  guns  were  taken  out  to  the  city 
limits  and  planted  in  a  commanding  position.  Then 
the  hills  where  the  Spaniards  were  known  to  be  con 
cealed  were  treated  to  a  bombardment  they  had  not 
experienced  since  the  day  they  were  created.  Huge 
charges  of  dynamite  were  thrown  across  the  fields, 
which,  when  they  struck  the  earth,  tore  everything 
in  their  path.  Great  holes  in  the  ground  were  torn 
up  and  rocks,  dust  and  pieces  of  timber  and  roots  were 
thrown  high  in  the  air.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  this, 
added  to  the  effective  rifle  fire  of  the  Third  Battalion, 
had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  enemy  did  not  again 
attempt  to  disturb  the  Fourth  Ohio  at  G-uayama. 

As  soon  as  the  Third  Battalion  returned  to  the 
city,  strong  guards  were  posted  all  over  the  town. 
Private  William  Walcut,  of  D  Company,  was  placed 
on  guard  at  the  principal  corner,  within  a  few  yards 
of  the  Capitol  building.  At  a  house  near  him,  several 
shots  had  been  seen  to  be  fired  and  several  times  a 
man  with  a  long  black  beard  was  seen  to  appear  on  a 
veranda.  The  shots  came  very  mysteriously,  and  as 
there  was  no  smoke,  it  was  not  known  to  an  absolute 
certainty  that  they  came  from  the  house  mentioned 
except  as  could  be  judged  from  the  report  of  the  rifle. 
One  of  the  shots  was  well  aimed  and  Sentinel  Walcut 
was  wounded  in  the  foot. 


160  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

This  created  considerable  excitement  and  the 
house  was  entered.  The  man  with  the  black  beard 
was  Chief  of  Police  Blanco,  an  avowed  Spanish  sym 
pathizer,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  he  was  the 
man  who  fired  the  sho't  which  wounded  Walcut. 
The  house  was  entered  by  Colonel  C'oit  in  person,  ac 
companied  by  several  men,  and  when  they  came  out 
they  had  some  arms,  a  Spanish  flag  and  several  pris 
oners  of  war.  Among  them  was  Blanco.  They  were 
all  taken  to  the  provincial  jail  and  locked  up,  a  strong 
guard  being  placed  over  the  jail. 

When  everything  had  quieted  down,  it  was  al 
most  dark  and  arrangements  were  begun  for  the  night. 
Company  B  was  detailed  as  guard  in  the  town  and  the 
other  companies  were  stationed  as  outposts  on  the 
north  and  west  sides  of  the  city.  The  Third  Illinois 
took  charge  of  the  other  approaches.  The  men  that 
were  left  were  permitted  to  camp  for  the  night  where- 
ever  they  chose  and  some  pitched  their  tents  in  the 
street,  others  in  the  public  buildings  and  others  in  the 
plaza.  Most  of  the  shelter  tents  and  other  baggage 
was  discarded  in  the  advance  on  the  city  so  that  many 
of  the  men  were  compelled  to  seek  shelter  under 
roofs  or  sleep  in  the  open  air. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  161 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  ROAD  TO  CAYEY. 

"Battle"  of  Guayama— Comments  on  the  Capture— Effect  of 
This  Duty  Upon  the  Regiment— General  Haines  and  the 
Fourth  Ohio— Restlessness  in  the  City— Reconnoiter  of 
the  Road — Spanish  Camp  Located — Orders  for  Second 
Reconnoiter— A  False  Alarm— A  Break  for  Guayama— 
Stories  of  Ambush — Their  Effect — Excitement  at  Head 
quarters — Regiment  Made  a  Rescuing  Party — American 
versus  Spaniard — Dynamite  Guns  in  Action — A  Make- 
Shift  Caisson— Barrio  De  Las  Palmas— Other  Expe 
ditions. 

When  the  officers  of  the  United  States  army  were 
instructing  the  officers  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  as  to  the 
preparation  of  blanks  in  the  final  muster  out  of  the 
regiment  at  Columbus  in  January,  1899,  one  of  them 
said:  "In  preparing  the  discharges  of  the  men,  you 
will  in  recording  the  military  record  of  each,  give  those 
credit  who  were  in  action  on  August  5th  at  Guayama, 
Porto  Bico,  as  the  government  has  dignified  that  en 
gagement  with  the  name  of  "battle." 

The  simple  facts  that  only  two  regiments  were  en 
gaged  on  the  one  side  and  less  than  a  thousand  men  on 
the  other  and  that  only  a  few  American  soldiers  were 
wounded  and  none  killed,  does  not  show  any  insignifi 
cance  to  the  engagement.  The  Fourth  Ohio  was  there 
in  obedience  to  orders  from  the  commanding  officers 
and  the  spirit  with  which  they  performed  their  duty 
as  it  appeared  to  them,  would  have  been  the  same  had 
there  been  a  million  Spaniards  to  oppose  them.  Be 
sides  that,  the  work  which  they  accomplished  was  cer- 


162  TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 

tainly  one  worthy  the  record  which  the  regiment  had 
made  while  it  was  a  part  of  the  Ohio  National  Guard. 
The  capture  of  the  city  of  Guayama  at  that  time  meant 
more  than  the  mere  defeat  of  a  detachment  of  Spanish 
troops.  Guayama  was  a  city  of  five  thousand  in 
habitants,  and  the  province  of  which  it  was  the  po 
litical,  social  and  commercial  center,  contained  twelve 
thousand  people,  who  represented  many  million  dol 
lars  of  wealth.  This  was  all  lost  to  the  Spanish  gov 
ernment  and  some  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of 
the  Civil  war  resulted  in  smaller  gains  to  the  federal 
government. 

Nor  should  the  value  of  that  day's  work  be 
measured  by  the  remarkably  short  list  of  wounded. 
It  certainly  was  no  fault  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  that  not 
more  of  their  number  were  injured.  They  placed 
themselves  in  the  path  of  the  Spanish  bullets  and  for 
four  long  hours  they  were  subjected  to  a  hot  fire  from 
an  enemy  which  knew  every  foot  of  the  contested 
ground,  while  the  Ohio  boys  were  in  a  strange  land 
and  among  a  strange  people.  The  loss  to  the  regiment 
was  not  confined  by  any  means  to  the  damage  done  by 
Spanish  bullets,  for  the  severe  physical  strain  of  the 
day  had  a  telling  effect  indeed,  and  the  sweltering 
rays  of  the  tropical  sun  did  far  more  damage  than  the 
poorly  aimed  Spanish  rifles  were  able  to  accomplish. 
Captain  White  of  B  Company,  who  had  been  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fray  from  the  time  the  assault  was 
begun  until  the  regiment  reached  the  city,  was  com 
pletely  overcome  by  the  heat  and  spent  the  night  at  the 
hospital  in  terrible  agony. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     I.  163 

Many  of  the  boys  were  overcome  by  the  heat,  and 
it  was  not  an  uncommon  sight  during  the  advance 
upon  the  city  to  see  men  throw  up  their  hands  and 
with  a  shriek,  sink  to  the  earth.  These  sights  would 
probably  have  had  a  serious  effect  on  men  less  de 
termined  than  the  Fourth  Ohio,  for  from  every  ap 
pearance  the  men  thus  fallen,  were  mortally  wounded, 
and  this  was  what  their  comrades  naturally  supposed 
had  happened. 

There  are  many  reasonable  objections  to  the  ser 
vice  of  volunteer  troops,  and  there  are  many  strong 
arguments  for  their  efficiency,  but  it  is  very  seldom 
that  any  confidence  is  reposed  in  volunteer  regiments 
by  general  officers  until  they  have  once  been  under 
fire  and  proved  themselves.  General  Haines  had 
watched  the  Fourth  Ohio  all  through  its  course  of 
training  at  Chickamauga  park.  He  had  personally 
superintended  their  marches,  rifle  practice  and  other 
drills  and  had  learned  to  know  that  they  were  made 
of  the  stuff  that  goes  where  duty  calls.  The  Fourth 
Ohio  had  never  as  such  been  under  fire,  but  they 
conducted  themselves  on  the  occasion  of  the  capture 
of  Guayama  with  so  much  judgment,  precision  and 
determination  that  General  Haines  freely  announced 
that  he  could  trust  any  officer  or  man  in  the  regiment 
with  any  duty  which  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  soldier. 

He  formed  a  warm  personal  acquaintance  with 
the  officers  and  with  many  of  the  men.  Anything 
which  was  in  his  power  to  bestow  was  freely  given  to 
the  Fourth  Ohio,  and  that  regiment  received  every 


164  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 

post  of  honor  which  General  Haines  had  the  privilege 
of  giving. 

On  the  night  after  the  capture  the  town  was  in  a 
very  restless  condition.  A  night  attack  was  feared 
by  the  citizens,  and  property  holders  were  fearful  lest 
Spanish  sympathizers  would  set  fire  to  their  buildings 
and  escape  to  the  Spanish  camp  in  the  hills  beyond  the 
Atj.  Many  arrests  were  made  during  the  night,  of 
men  who  it  was  claimed  were  avowed  Spaniards, 
and  before  morning  the  little  provincial  jail  was 
crowded  with  prisoners  of  war.  These  were  all  re 
leased,  however,  on  their  promise  not  to  take  up  arms 
against  the  United  States  or  to  assist  in  any  way  the 
Spanish  cause. 

Those  citizens  who  remained  quietly  at  their 
homes,  whatever  their  sympathies  might  have  been, 
were  not  disturbed,  and  with  but  few  exceptions  these 
liberal  offers  were  not  abused.  The  officers  of  the 
regiment  had  taken  quarters  for  the  night  in  a  hotel 
adjoining  the  City  Hall,  and  during  the  night  a  man 
wearing  citizen's  clothes  was  caught  lurking  near  these 
quarters  with  a  large  "machete"  concealed  on  his 
person.  What  his  intentions  were,  could  only  be 
judged  by  appearances,  and  he  was  hurried  away  to 
the  jail  to  join  his  friends  and  neighbors. 

The  soldiers  and  citizens  continued  to  be  the  best 
of  friends,  the  people  ever  ready  to  share  their  last 
comfort  with  the  soldiers  who  had  brought  to  them  a 
new  government.  There  were  few  households  which 
did  not  contain  an  abundant  supply  of  wine  of  various 
grades  and  quality,  and  this  was  liberally  bestowed 


THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     1.  165 

upon  the  Ohio  soldiers.  Some  of  the  boys  became 
too  "sociable,"  however,  and  the  regimental  guard 
house  was  pretty  well  filled  up  at  reveille  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  6th. 

The  night  having  passed  without  serious  trouble, 
General  Haines  directed  that  the  day  be  spent  so  far  as 
possible  in  rest.  Guards  were  made  as  light  as  the 
circumstances  would  permit  and  the  outposts  were 
made  as  comfortable  as  possible.  Some  of  these  were 
some  distance  from  the  city,  and  had  an  attack  been 
made  upon  them,  they  would  have  had  to  have  f  ougb 
like  demons  to  have  held  their  positions  or  to  have 
gained  the  city  in  safety.  D  Company  was  on  the 
top  of  a  mountain  next  the  city,  but  it  was  a  hare? 
and  dangerous  climb  to  reach  their  post,  and  they 
would  have  had  a  hard  time  retreating  to  the  city  had 
such  an  emergency  presented  itself.  The  other  com 
panies  were  stationed  at  a  bridge  across  the  stream 
"Bio  Guayama,"  along  the  road  from  the  city  to  the 
bridge  and  at  other  points  along  the  little  stream  as  it 
flowed  along  the  outskirts  of  the  city  to  the  sea  a  few 
miles  away. 

In  the  afternoon,  Colonel  Coit  directed  companies 
A  and  C  to  make  a  short  reconnoitre  beyond  the 
bridge  before  mentioned,  to  discover  if  possible  the 
position  and  strength  of  the  Spanish  forces  and  to 
report  on  the  condition  of  the  road. 

Corporal  William  Markeson,  who  had  now  been 
relieved  of  the  duties  of  regimental  clerk  and  returned 
to  his  company  (F),  accompanied  this  expedition  in 
the  capacity  of  interpreter.  Every  native  that  was 


166  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

met  was  questioned  as  to  what  lie  knew  and  the 
answers  as  to  the  number  of  Spaniards  in  the  hills 
varied  from  one  dozen  to  several  thousand.  It  was 
definitely  learned,  however,  that  the  main  force  was 
near  the  top  of  the  mountain  range,  five  or  six  miles 
further  up  the  road  and  that  they  were  busily  en 
gaged  in  throwing  up  intrenchments  and  preparing 
to  receive  an  attack.  No  reliable  information  could 
be  secured  as  to  their  strength. 

The  road  leading  from  Guayama,  extended  from 
that  city  through  Oayey,  Caguas  and  Rio  Piedras  to 
San  Juan,  the  capital  of  the  island.  It  had  been 
constructed  by  the  Spanish  government,  and  was 
found  to  be  one  of  the  finest  Maccadam  roadways  in 
the  world.  It  wound  itself  in  graceful  curves  around 
the  hills,  keeping  in  the  valley  as  much  as  possible, 
and  cutting  itself  along  the  bluffs  and  by  the  side  of 
precipices  like  a  quiet  mountain  stream.  At  many 
places  its  foundation  was  the  very  rocks  and  at  other 
places  it  was  filled  with  closely  packed  stone  which 
had  been  ground  almost  into  powder.  The  heavy 
rains  and  the  absence  of  freezing  had  rendered  the 
road  as  hard  as  cement  and  its  surface  was  almost  as 
smooth. 

The  engineers  had  made  ample  provision  for  the 
little  mountain  gorges  which  would  otherwise  have 
destroyed  the  road  in  the  course  of  time,  and  beautiful 
masonry  marked  the  places  where  these  little  streams 
threaded  their  way  through  the  rock  under  the  road- 
wav. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  167 

At  one  of  the  turns  in  this  road  there  was  found 
evidence  that  the  Spaniards  fully  expected  that  the 
American  troops  would  push  on  toward  Cayey.  A 
clump  of  bushes  was  so  arranged  that  a  dozen  men 
could  conceal  themselves  and  command  a  view  of  the 
road  for  a  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  Had  an 
enemy  approached,  they  could  have  fired  several  vol 
leys  into  its  ranks  and  then  dropped  down  the  em 
bankment  and  retreated  to  the  next  turn,  where  these 
tactics  could  have  been  repeated.  In  this  way  it 
would  have  been  possible  for  fitfy  Spaniards  to  have 
repelled  the  advance  of  an  entire  regiment  of  Ameri 
can  soldiers. 

After  the  party  had  reached  a  distance  of  six 
kilometers  from  the  city,  the  lengthening  shades  of 
night  warned  the  officers  that  it  was  time  to  return 
to  the  city.  The  advance  guard  and  flankers  were 
called  in  and  the  march  was  made  back  to  Guayama. 
Both  A  and  C  companies  returned  to  outpost  duty 
and  the  other  companies  remained  at  the  posts  to 
which  they  had  previously  been  assigned. 

The  discoveries  of  the  reconnoitering  party  con 
vinced  the  officers  that  the  Spaniards  were  preparing 
to  carry  on  a  stout  defense  against  any  advance  of  the 
Americans  rather  than  an  offensive  campaign,  and  the 
fear  of  an  attack  was  lessened.  Saturday  night  was, 
therefore,  spent  in  greater  ease  than  the  previous 
night,  and  Sunday  was  spent  in  much  needed  rest. 

The  baggage  from  off  the  St.  Paul  had  now 
reached  the  regiment  at  Guayama  and  most  of  that 
which  had  been  discarded  on  Friday  between  Arroyo 


168  THE     FOURTH     0.      V.     I. 

and  G-uayama  had  been  collected.  H  and  M  com 
panies  had  reported  for  duty,  the  men  had  rested 
and  the  entire  command  was  in  better  condition  to 
hold  the  city  or  to  make  an  advance  than  they  had 
yet  been  since  the  landing  at  Arroyo  on  the  3rd. 

General  Haines  established  brigade  headquart 
ers  in  a  large  brick  building  at  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  principal  square,  overlooking  the  plaza,  and 
Colonel  Coit  established  regimental  headquarters  in 
an  abandoned  residence  at  the  rear  of  the  cathedral. 
Arrangements  were  made  to  remain  in  the  city  until 
more  forces  should  arrive  before  another  advance 
would  be  attempted. 

It  was  of  course  necessary  to  keep  informed  as 
much  as  possible  as  to  what  was  going  on  in  the 
Spanish  camp  and  on  Monday  the  following  order 
was  delivered  to  Colonel  Coit: 

Headquarters  Second  Brigade, 

First  Division,  First  Corps, 
Guayama,  Porto  Rico,  August  8,  1898. 
Colonel  Coit,  Commanding  Fourth  O.  V.  I.: 

Sir — The  brigade  commander  directs  that  you 
send  a  reconnoitering  party  on  the  road  to  Cayey 
toward  the  place  where  the  road  has  been  blown  up. 
This  party  need  not  be  a  large  one,  not  more  than  one 
company,  strong  enough  to  take  care  of  itself  and 
fall  back  in  case  of  attack.  The  object  is  to  secure 
information  and  not  to  bring  on  a  fight.  Lieutenant 
Darrow  will  accompany  the  party  to  sketch  the 
country.  Very  respectfully, 

0.  W.  FEOTEISF,  A.  A.  G. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  169 

A  few  moments  after  the  receipt  of  that  order, 
the  following  was  issued: 

Headquarters  Fourth  O.  V.  I., 
Guayama,  Porto  Rico,  August  8,  1898. 
Regimental  Order  No.  77: 

Captain  Walsh  will,  when  relieved  by  Captain 
Bostwick,  make  a  reconnoiter  with  parts  of  Compan 
ies  A  and  C,  leaving  Company  C  at  a  point  about 
two  miles  beyond  Guayama  bridge.  This  expedition 
is  for  information  only  and  will  be  made  with  care. 
Lieutenant  Barrow  and  interpreter  will  accompany 
the  party.  You  will  avoid  an  engagement  and  re 
treat  in  order  if  you  meet  with  aforesaid  opposition. 
A  written  report  with  all  information  will  be  made 
as  soon  as  possible.  By  order 

COLONEL  COIT. 

M.  L.  WILSON,  Capt.  Fourth  O.  Y.  I.,  Adjt. 

In  obedience  to  these  orders  companies  A  and  C 
left  camp  at  about  8  o'clock  Monday  morning,  August 
8th.  Advance  guards  and  flankers  were  thrown  out 
and  the  command  proceeded  cautiously  up  the  moun 
tain.  The  main  column  remained  in  the  roadway, 
but  the  line  of  flankers  extended  on  either  side,  in  the 
valley  at  the  right  and  on  the  mountain  side  at  the 
left.  It  was  very  hard  work  to  climb  over  the  rocks 
and  across  the  precipices  and  progress  was  therefore 
rather  slow.  It  was  not  possible  for  the  main  column 
to  proceed  faster  than  the  flanks  which  were  to  pro 
tect  the  movement,  so  that  by  noon  the  command  had 
not  gone  more  than  four  miles  from  the  bridge. 


170  '  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

Colonel  Coit  had  accompanied  the  expedition, 
to  be  on  the  ground  in  person  in  case  anything  should 
happen,  as  well  as  to  familiarize  himself  with  the 
condition  and  outline  of  the  country.  Lieutenant 
Darrow,  of  General  Haines'  staff,  was  also  a  member 
of  the  party.  It  was  his  duty  to  make  a  topo 
graphical  map  of  the  road  and  the  adjacent  country. 
The  entire  reconnoiter  was  in  anticipation  of  a  gen 
eral  advance  from  Guayama  to  San  Juan,  and  for  this 
reason  a  great  deal  of  importance  was  attached  to  the 
movement. 

As  had  been  learned  through  the  expedition  on 
Saturday  before,  the  main  force  of  the  Spaniards 
occupied  a  position  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  they 
commanded  a  complete  view  of  the  road  from  the 
bridge  to  their  own  camp.  The  Spanish  officers 
could  have  seen  the  expedition  leave  camp  and  prob 
ably  did  see  their  every  movement  while  on  the 
march. 

After  the  command  had  reached  an  abrupt  turn 
in  the  road,  glasses  were  trained  at  the  hillside  to  the 
right  and  there  the  Spaniards  were  in  plain  view. 
Men  could  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye  workiner  in  the 
trenches,  which  had  already  been  made  a  most  formid 
able  defense.  There  were  rifle  pits  at  the  side  of  the 
road,  artillery  trenches  in  the  hill  sides  and  embank 
ments  thrown  up  in  the  middle  of  the  passage. 
Bridges  and  culverts  had  been  destroyed  with  dyna 
mite,  and  an  American  cavalry  or  artillery  detach 
ment  would  have  found  it  practically  impossible  to 


THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     1.  171 

have  climbed  the  mountain  even  if  there  had  been 
no  defense  of  the  road  by  Spanish  arms. 

The  expedition  made  careful  notes  of  all  they 
saw  and  of  what  they  could  learn  from  the  natives, 
but  they  had  not  quite  reached  the  bridge  referred 
to  in  the  communication  from  brigade  headquarters. 
They  had  just  passed  one  of  the  sharper  turns  in  the 
road  when  a  hundred  Mauser  rifles  rang  out  in  the 
fresh  mountain  air,  directly  above  and  in  front  of 
them.  An  instant  later  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  bul 
lets  was  heard  directly  over  their  heads  and  in  another 
moment  a  second  volley  was  fired.  Fortunately  the 
aim  of  the  Spaniards,  as  it  had  been  at  Guayama,  was 
very  bad,  and  the  bullets  passed  harmlessly  over  the 
heads  of  the  Americans  or  struck  the  side  of  the  cut 
in  the  roadway.  Some  of  them,  however,  struck  the 
surface  of  the  road  and  had  the  effect  of  giving  the 
Americans  to  understand  that  they  were  standing  on 
very  uncomfortable  ground,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
unhealthfulness  of  the  surroundings. 

The  position  of  the  command  at  this  time  was 
very  peculiar.  The  road  did  not  extend  more  than  a 
few  feet  in  any  one  direction  at  one  place,  but  the 
curves  were  sharp,  bounded  on  the  one  side  by  the  rock 
at  the  side  of  the  mountain  and  on  the  other  side  by 
a  deep  precipice  which  afforded  even  as  much  danger 
as  the  bullets  from  the  Spanish  soldiers.  The  head 
of  the  column  had  reached  a  point  behind  a  steep  bluff 
where  it  was  impossible  for  the  bullets  to  reach  them, 
but  the  rear  of  the  column  was  in  direct  range  of  the 


172  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

fire  which  was  becoming  thicker  and  more  deadly 
every  minute. 

The  firing  had  come  like  a  thunderbolt  from  a 
clear  sky  and  for  a  moment  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  command  were  dumfounded.  The  order  from 
General  Haines  had  been  to  "fall  back  in  case  of  at 
tack/7  but  here  was  a  situation  that  no  one  could 
have  anticipated.  To  advance  was  in  disobedience 
of  orders  and  would  have  been  murder  on  the  part  of 
the  officers  commanding  it,  and  to  retreat  was  plain 
suicide;  still,  at  the  rate  the  bullets  were  coming 
from  the  Spanish  trenches,  it  was  plainly  seen  that  the 
command  could  not  remain  in  that  position  many 
minutes. 

The  expedition  had  been  placed  in  charge  of 
Captain  "Walsh,  but  the  colonel  was  there  and  of 
course  the  responsibility  of  getting  out  of  the  dilemma 
at  once  devolved  upon  him.  Colonel  Coit's  first  com 
mand  was  to  stand  firm,  but  it  was  soon  seen  that 
that  would  not  be  safe,  for  the  Spanish  soldiers  were 
aiming  lower  at  every  volley. 

Finally  it  was  decided  that  the  men  should  re 
treat  around  the  bend  in  squads  so  as  not  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  enemy.  The  first  squad  waited 
until  they  heard  the  shower  of  bullets  pass  over  them, 
then  they  made  a  mad  rush  around  the  curve  before 
the  Spaniards  could  fire  another  volley.  The  first 
squad  made  the  trip  successfully  and  then  the  next 
tried  it.  Those  who  were  waiting  in  the  meantime, 
hugged  mother  earth  as  closely  as  it  was  possible  for 
them  to  squeeze  their  bodies  into  the  shallow  ditch 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  173 

at  the  side  of  the  road  where  they  patiently  waited 
their  turn  to  slip  behind  the  friendly  embankment. 

After  a  few  squads  had  gained  the  protection  of 
the  turn  in  the  road,  some  one  repeated  a  command 
to  "retreat  two  by  two."  Another  person  gave  the 
alarm:  "The  cavalry  is  coming!  Run  for  your 
lives!"  In  the  absence  of  a  second  order,  these  cries 
confused  the  men  so  that  no  one  knew  just  what 
was  really  expected  of  him.  Some  of  the  men  be 
came  frightened  and  ran  down  the  road  as  fast  as 
their  legs  could  carry  them.  Sergeant  McConnel  and 
his  squad,  which  had  at  first  formed  one  of  the  flanks, 
but  which,  owing  to  the  rough  condition  of  the  coun 
try  had  dropped  back  and  acted  as  the  rear  guard, 
at  once  placed  himself  in  the  middle  of  the  road  and 
declared  that  he  would  kill  the  first  man  who  at 
tempted  to  pass  him. 

At  the  same  time  Lieutenants  Reynolds  and  Alex 
ander  regained  control  of  the  men  in  their  own  com 
pany  and  order  was  soon  restored,  but  not  until  the 
f ollowing  had  been  wounded :  Noble  W.  Horlocker, 
Company  C,  right  ankle;  Harry  L.  Haynes,  Com 
pany  C,  left  shoulder  and  right  arm;  Samuel  Jones, 
Company  C,  knee;  William  Edgington,  Company 
A,  thigh;  Edward  Thompson,  Company  "K,  wrist. 

Some  of  the  men,  however,  had  managed  to  get 
down  the  road  before  Sergeant  McConnel  could  stop 
the  mad  retreat,  and  they  rushed  pell  mell  down  the 
hill  to  the  bridge  where  M  Company  was  then  sta 
tioned.  They  related  a  marvelous  tale  of  how  the 
expedition  had  been  ambushed  and  how  almost  the 


174  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

entire  command  was  either  killed  or  captured,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  all  sorts  of  wild  rumors  had  reached 
regimental  and  brigade  headquarters. 

Everything  at  Guayama  was  in  a  state  of  wild 
excitement.  Stragglers  kept  coming  into  the  city, 
telling  still  wilder  stories  so  that  every  one  was  at  a 
loss  to  know  just  what  had  really  happened.  Major 
Baker  was  in  command  of  the  regiment  when  the  first 
rumor  reached  the  city,  but  at  that  time  he  happened 
to  be  away  from  headquarters  and  could  not  be  found. 
Colonel  Adams  soon  appeared,  however,  and  he  at 
once  ordered  those  companies  nearest  the  city  to  go  up 
the  road  and  assist  the  reconnoitering  party  if  that 
party  still  existed.  Major  Baker  hastened  to  his  bat 
talion  and  Major  Speaks,  hearing  the  rumor  at  a  dif 
ferent  part  of  the  city,  returned  in  all  haste  to  regi 
mental  headquarters  only  to  find  the  building  de 
serted. 

Company  B  was  still  on  guard  in  the  city  and 
they  had  their  hands  full  maintaining  order,  for  be 
tween  the  soldiers  and  the  citizens  all  was  chaos. 
Major  Sellers  and  Colonel  Adams  soon  had  the  out 
posts  well  in  hand  and  as  many  men  as  could  be 
spared  from  these  companies  were  hastened  up  the 
road.  M  Company,  which  was  already  at  the  bridge, 
had  started  for  the  scene  of  trouble  before  the  regular 
command  reached  it,  but  it  was  soon  overtaken  and 
the  regiment  marched  up  the  road  in  regular  order. 

As  the  reinforcement  advanced,  they  were  met 
by  stragglers  from  A  and  C  Companies  who  were 
totally  unable  to  give  any  intelligent  information  as 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  175 

to  wliat  was  really  going  on  or  what  had  actually 
taken  place.  Careful  questioning  of  these  men  failed 
absolutely  of  result  and  the  relief  had  to  push  its 
way  up  the  steep  mountain  road,  expecting  every 
minute  to  receive  a  terrific  fire  from  an  enemy  in 
ambush.  Caution  and  speed  were  combined  as  far 
as  possible,  however,  and  the  regiment  hurried  to  the 
rescue. 

Strangely  enough,  the  command  reached  the 
reeon  noitering  party  without  being  fired  upon. 
As  soon  as  the  party  was  reached,  explanations 
were  hastily  made  and  a  course  of  action  de 
termined  upon.  The  Spaniards  had  as  a  mat 
ter  of  course  observed  the  approach  of  the  fresh 
troops,  but  they  supposed  that  the  reinforcement  had 
come  for  more  than  to  merely  cover  the  retreat  of 
their  comrades.  They  had,  therefore,  themselves  re 
treated  to  a  stronger  position  further  up  the  hill  and 
had  there  awaited  an  assault.  As  soon  as  they  dis 
covered  the  real  purpose  of  the  movement  of  the  ad 
ditional  troops,  they  grew  somewhat  bolder  and  re 
opened  the  fire. 

The  column  had  not  yet  exposed  itself  on  the 
side  of  the  curves  next  the  enemy  and  the  fire  from 
the  trenches  was  therefore  of  no  serious  conse 
quence.  It  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  return  to 
the  city  without  giving  the  Dons  a  dose  of  their  own, 
medicine,  and  with  that  end  in  view,  Colonel  Adams 
ordered  several  companies  up  to  the  top  of  the  ridge 
at  the  left  of  the  road.  In  single  file,  the  men 
climbed  up  the  steep  rocky  bank  and  pushed  on  to  the 


176  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

top  of  the  ridge,  where  they  could  secure  the  range  of 
the  Spanish  trenches.  As  soon  as  they  were  in  po 
sition  the  men  were  given  the  command  to  fire  and 
three  hundred  Krag-Jorgensen  rifles  sent  messengers 
of  lead  into  the  Spaniards  with  as  much  vim  as  the 
Spaniards  had  fired  upon  the  helpless  A  and  C 
Companies. 

In  the  meantime  the  dynamite  guns  were  hurried 
forward.  No  horses,  had  yet  arrived,  so  it  was  neces 
sary  for  the  men  themselves  to  drag  the  heavy  guns 
up  the  hill.  An  attempt  was  made  to  press  the  little 
Spanish  ponies  into  this  service,  but  they  were  too 
small  and  the  effort  had  to  be  abandoned.  The 
ammunition  for  the  dynamite  guns  was  taken  to  the 
scene  of  action  in  heavy  ox  carts,  and  this  trip  forcibly 
demonstrated  the  uselessness  of  this  primitive  beast 
in  warfare.  That  the  guns  ever  arrived  in  position  at 
all  was  a  wonder  to  all  who  saw  the  trip  made. 

The  rifle  fire  was  kept  up  at  a  lively  rate  until 
the  guns  were  gotten  into  position,  when  the  small- 
arm  fire  was  stopped.  It  had  been  returned  bv  the 
Spaniards,  but  the  bullets  flew  so  far  over  the  heads 
of  the  men  on  the  ridge  that  they  could  hardly  hear 
them  whistle.  The  Spaniards  did  not  seem  to  pay 
much  attention  to  the  rifle  fire,  but  as  soon  as  the  ar 
tillery  was  "let  loose"  there  was  commotion  every 
where  in  their  camp.  The  first  shot  was  aimed  too 
low,  but  it  was  near  enough  to  suit  those  at  whom  it 
was  aimed  and  when  the  shell  exploded  with  a  terrific 
roar,  Spaniards  could  be  seen  running  to  the  top  of  the 
hill  and  to  places  of  supposed  safety  in  every  direc- 


THE    ROAD    TO    CAYEY. 


REPRODUCED    FROM    A    WATER    COLOR. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  177 

tion.  One  of  the  shots  was  afterwards  said  by  a 
Spanish  soldier  to  have  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the 
trenches  and  to  have  killed  outright  twenty-seven 
Spanish  soldiers  besides  maiming  many  others. 

After  a  number  of  shots  had  been  fired  into  the 
hills  from  the  dynamite  guns,  the  rifles  were  permitted 
to  give  them  a  parting  volley,  and  the  regiment  re 
turned  to  the  city. 

Considerable  newspaper  discussion  followed  this 
engagement,  but  in  this  case  the  Fourth  Ohio  re 
ceived  all  the  credit  and  there  was  nothing  but  credit 
to  be  given.  No  criticism  was  offered  whatever  to 
the  action  of  the  regiment,  but  those  who  had  broken 
to  the  rear  and  who  beat  a  disorderly  retreat  were 
held  in  considerable  contempt  by  their  comrades,  at 
first,  but  when  all  the  facts  in  the  case  were  learned, 
and  when  the  men  fully  declared  that  they  heard  an 
order  to  retreat,  the  suspicions  against  them  were  re 
moved.  The  rear  of  the  column  had  certainly  been 
in  a  dangerous  position  and  the  men  were  certainly 
justified  in  doing  all  they  could  in  self-preservation, 
but  it  was  a  difficult  task  for  them  to  convince  their 
comrades  that  they  had  actually  heard  an  order  to 
run.  The  commanding  officer  of  C  Company  was 
relieved  from  command  shortly  after  the  party  re 
turned  to  the  city,  but  he  was  afterwards  restored  and 
remained  in  command  at  Guayama  until  after  his 
resignation  was  accepted,  when  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Columbus.  No  charges  were  ever  preferred 
against  the  members  of  the  two  companies  who  had 
started  the  wild  rumors,  although  it  was  thought  at 


178  THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

the  time  that  this  would  be  done.  The  place  where 
the  firing  occurred  was  named  "Barrio  de  Las 
Palmas,"  and  the  engagement  is  known  by  the  same 
name. 

Several  other  parties  were  sent  up  into  the  hills 
after  that,  but  not  more  than  a  half  dozen  were  sent 
at  a  time  and  these  always  avoided  the  main  road. 
By  creeping  along  the  edge  of  the  hill  it  was  possible 
for  small  parties  to  get  good  views  of  the  Spanish 
camp,  and  by  the  time  all  was  in  readiness  for  the 
general  attack,  General  Brooke  had  been  supplied  by 
his  scouts  with  maps  and  even  photographs  of  the 
Spanish  defenses. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  17« 


CHAPTER  XII. 


ONE  WEEK  OF  REST. 

The  Fourth  Appreciated  by  People  at  Guayama — A  General 
Cleaning  Up — Beautiful  Scenery — Early  Impression  of 
Porto  Rico — Commissary  Condition — Fresh  Meat  at  the 
Outposts— The  Water  Supply— Horses  and  Reinforce 
ments  Arrive — Hospital  Established — Rumors  Again— 
Preparations  for  Advance— Final  Orders  Issued— Death 
of  Sam  Hill. 

The  regiment  now  settled  down  for  a  week  of 
quiet  rest.  There  was  at  that  time  nothing  to  do  un 
til  more  troops  arrived,  for  it  was  apparent  to  all  that 
a  movement  toward  Cayey  would  be  useless  except 
by  an  overwhelming  force.  The  Spaniards  were 
known  to  be  in  a  strong  position  and  that  they  were 
m  force,  and  besides  this,  they  were  acquainted  with 
the  entire  surrounding  country.  Nature  had  given 
them  an  almost  impregnable  fortress,  and  they  were 
in  excellent  position  to  hold  it;  this  they  were  evi 
dently  determined  to  do. 

While  the  troops  rested,  however,  the  general  of 
ficers  and  their  staff  officers  were  as  busy  as  bees. 
Some  were  collecting  information  as  to  the  strength, 
position  and  plans  of  the  Spaniards,  others  were  ar 
ranging  for  the  coming  of  additional  troops,  others 
were  making  reports,  while  still  others  were  doing 
all  in  their  power  to  make  those  comfortable  which 
were  already  at  hand. 


180  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  regimental  headquarters  in  the  rear  of  the 
cathedral  was  the  center  of  attraction  -for  the  citizens 
of  Guayama.  The  other  regiments  of  the  brigade 
were  in  camp  outside  of  the  city  and  their  members 
were  very  seldom  seen  on  the  streets,  but  the  people 
of  Guayama  had  learned  that  it  was  the  Fourth  Ohio 
which  had  made  them  free  from  Spanish  rule,  and 
anything  they  had  or  could  secure  was  gladly  turned 
over  to  the  soldiers.  This  kind  feeling  was  warmly 
reciprocated,  and  soldiers  and  citizens  were  the  best 
of  friends  for  a  long  time,  but  a  change  came,  which 
will  be  treated  later. 

While  the  regiment  was  in  the  city,  word  came 
that  the  St.  Paul  was  under  orders  to  return  to  the 
states  and  that  she  would  take  mail  from  the  soldiers 
if  delivered  within  a  certain  time.  There  was  a  mad 
rush  for  stationery,  but  there  was  very  little  to  be 
found  except  the  official  paper  at  the  City  Hall. 
This  was  Spanish,  and  not  only  afforded  excellent 
writing  paper,  but  it  made  an  appropriate  souvenir  of 
the  victory  to  send  home.  Thousands  of  letters  were 
written  to  dear  ones  at  home  on  this  paper.  Postage 
stamps  were  nowhere  to  be  found,  but  they  were  not 
essential  to  the  sending  of  the  letters.  By  a  ruling 
of  the  postoffice  department,  soldiers  in  the  field  were 
permitted  to  send  mail  matter  without  postage  pro 
vided  they  wrote  their  names  across  the  envelope, 
marked  it  "Soldiers'  Mail,"  and  had  the  same  ap 
proved  by  a  commisioned  officer.  The  letter  was  sent 
just  as  though  it  bore  the  usual  stamp  and  the  postage 
was  collected  at  the  office  where  it  was  delivered. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  181 

This  arrangement  was  a  great  accommodation  to  the 
boys,  as  it  was  almost  an  impossibility  for  them  to 
carry  postage  stamps  with  them,  and  now  that  they 
had  reached  a  foreign  country,  United  States  stamps 
could  not^be  secured. 

Before  the  regiment  left  Guayama,  however,  the 
United  States  government  had  established  a  very  ac 
ceptable  postal  service,  and  it  was  not  only  possible 
to  purchase  postage  stamps,  but  postal  money  orders 
could  also  be  secured  and  it  was  possible  to  register 
mail. 

While  the  regimental  headquarters  were  in 
Guayama  during  that  week,  the  soldiers  themselves 
were  not  always  there.  Company  B  had  been  re 
lieved  as  provost  guard  by  a  company  of  the  Third 
Illinois,  but  matters  did  not  go  as  they  were  supposed 
to  move  and  the  Fourth  Ohio  company  was  returned 
to  duty  in  the  city.  The  other  companies  of  the 
regiment  remained  at  outpost  duty  at  different  sta 
tions  near  the  city. 

The  troops  in  town  were  quartered  in  buildings, 
while  those  out  of  town  were  obliged  to  sleep  on  the 
ground  under  the  little  shelter  tents,  which  afforded 
very  little  resistance  indeed  to  the  heavy  rains  which 
fell  for  hours  at  a  time.  By  pitching  their  tents, 
however,  beneath  the  trees  and  in  the  shelter  of  banks 
or  crevices,  the  boys  managed  to  get  along  fairly  well. 
Those  men  near  the  Guayama  bridge  availed  them 
selves  of  near-by  sheds  for  sleeping  quarters. 

The  commissary  department  of  the  Fourth  Ohio 
during  all  this  time  was  indeed  in  a  sorry  condition. 


182  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

There  was  canned  beef  and  tomatoes  and  some  beans, 
but  aside  from  this  very  little  could  be  procured. 
There  w^s  hard  tack,  but  it  was  a  poor  quality; 
there  were  fresh  beef  issues,  but  they  came  so  seldom 
that  the  boys  did  not  get  time  to  appreciate  it;  there 
was  coffee  and  sugar,  but  not  in  the  abundance  it 
should  have  been,  and  it  was  an  uncommon  thing  for 
a  man  to  drink  a  gill  of  coffee,  eat  a  small  piece  of 
hard  tack  and  stand  guard  all  night  in  the  presence 
of  the  enemy. 

When  the  fresh  beef  was  issued,  the  company 
cook  details  improved  the  opportunity  to  work  off 
some  of  the  beans  and  tomatoes  in  very  liberal  propor 
tions.  By  purchasing  a  few  native  vegetables  with 
the  pennies  which  could  be  collected  in  the  compan 
ies,  it  was  possible  to  prepare  a  suspicious  looking 
mess  which  the  cooks  called  "soup/7  but  which  in 
most  cases  was  a  base  deception.  The  "fresh"  beef, 
it  should  be  understood,  was  beef  that  had  been  con 
tracted  for  in  the  United  States,  and  it  had  been  ship 
ped  from  the  west  to  the  seaboard,  then  transferred  to 
transports  and  shipped  to  the  soldiers  in  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico.  It  was  packed  in  ice,  then  taken  out  in 
lighters  and  brought  to  shore,  where  it  was  once 
more  loaded  on  ox  carts  and  dragged  from  the  coast 
towns  to  the  soldiers  inland.  Handled  either  in  the 
hot  tropical  sun  or  in  the  heavy  rains  natural  to 
these  climates,  the  reader  can  easily  imagine  how 
"fresh"  the  beef  was  when  it  reached  company  cook 
quarters.  The  dealings  of  government  contractors 


THE     FOURTH     0.      V.     L  188 

for  subsistence  was,  after  the  war,  the  subject  of  in 
vestigation  by  a  board  appointed  for  the  purpose. 

The  market  at  Guayama  afforded  a  limited  sup 
ply  of  food,  consisting  of  oranges,  bananas,  mangoes 
and  other  tropical  fruits,  most  of  which  was  forbidden 
to  the  men  by  the  surgeons.  Fresh  and  salt  water 
fish  could  be  purchased  in  abundance,  and  milk,  corn, 
yams,  cheese  and  eggs  could  also  be  secured.  The 
one  difficulty,  however,  was  the  scarcity  of  funds  with 
which  to  purchase  these  things,  as  the  men  had  seen 
the  paymaster  but  once  since  they  had  been  in  the 
federal  service. 

The  outposts  of  the  Spaniards  and  the  Americans 
were  almost  in  range  of  each  other  and  oftentimes 
at  night  when  a  cow  or  a  horse  would  be  seen  wan 
dering  through  the  hills,  the  animal  was  mistaken 
for  an  enemy  and  shot  by  a  picket  man.  The  mis 
take  could  not  be  discovered,  of  course,  until  daylight, 
and  when  the  "enemy"  proved  to  be  a  cow,  sheep  or 
goat,  the  company  near  whose  post  the  killing  had 
been  done,  invariably  enjoyed  a  feast  of  their  own. 
The  neighboring  plantations  were  well  supplied  with 
chickens  also,  and  if  the  owners  could  be  made  out 
in  any  way  to  represent  sympathy  for  the  Spanish 
cause,  foraging  expeditions  were  organized  against 
the  place  and  the  trophies  secured  helped  to  make 
merry  the  hearts  that  watched  night  and  day  over  the 
approaches  to  the  captured  city  and  the  camp  of  their 
comrades. 

The  march  from  Camp  Thomas  to  Rossville,  the 
long  car  ride  to  the  coast,  the  voyage  on  the  St.  Paul, 


184  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  severe  weather  and  the  hard  work  since  the  boys 
had  landed  on  the  island,  were  causes  which  combined 
to  render  every  thread  of  wearing  apparel  and 
blankets  in  a  condition  for  the  laundry.  The  men 
had  several  chances  to  get  small  articles  of  wearing 
apparel  washed  "on  the  jump"  from  time  to  time,  but 
even  then  they  always  ran  the  risk  of  never  seeing 
the  clothing  again,  because  of  the  uncertainty  of  the 
movements  of  the  regiment.  When  it  was  seen  that 
nothing  would  be  done  until  reinforcements  arrived, 
the  boys  with  one  accord  started  on  the  hunt  for 
laundries.  Some  of  them  had  lost  all  the  clothing 
they  possessed  except  what  they  had  on  their  backs, 
and  these  had  to  go  to  Rio  Guayama  and  play  wash 
erwoman  until  their  clothing  was  clean  and  then  sit 
on  the  bank  for  a  sun  bath  to  wait  for  their  clothes 
to  dry.  /They  then  dressed  and  returned  to  camp, 
postponing  the  work  of  ironing  to  "some  sweet  day." 
The  washerwomen  of  the  city  reaped  a  harvest 
of  which  they  had  never  so  much  as  dreamed.  They 
had  all  they  could  do  and  more,  but  they  kept  at  it 
night  and  day,  determined  to  do  all  in  their  power 
for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  soldiers,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  earn  a  livelihood  for  themselves. 
These  women  would  undertake  to  wash  for  a  whole 
company  almost  at  a  time  and  would  promise  to  have 
every  garment  washed,  ironed  and  returned  in  less 
time  than  it  would  have  been  possible  for  them  to 
have  collected  it.  Their  work,  however,  was  entirely 
satisfactory,  but  their  manner  of  selecting  clothing 
and  their  persistency  in  getting  it  mixed  up  as  to 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  185 

owners  was  the  source  of  no  little  annoyance  to  their 
patrons. 

There  was  no  regular  laundry  in  the  city.  All 
this  work  was  done  by  women  who  took  the  clothing 
to  the  creek  and  there  removed  dirt  and  filth  with  the 
aid  of  soap,  cold  water  and  hard  work.  The  garments 
were  each  given  a  good  coat  of  cocoa  soap  and  then 
they  were  squeezed  and  beaten  on  rocks.  There  were 
no  wash  boards  used,  such  as  American  women  use  for 
that  purpose,  but  these  women  squatted  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream  and  rubbed  the  clothing  on  the 
rocks  with  their  hands  or  with  corn  cobs  and  smooth 
board  paddles. 

After  they  had  been  thoroughly  cleansed  in  this 
way  they  were  carefully  rinsed  and  spread  out  upon 
the  clean  pebbles  to  dry.  During  the  process  of  dry 
ing,  the  women  would  take  cocoanut  shells  of  water 
and  sprinkle  them.  This,  with  the  aid  of  the  bright 
sun,  rendered  every  piece  as  immaculately  spotless 
as  when  it  left  the  store.  Rio  Guayama  was  literally 
lined  with  washerwomen  during  the  entire  stay  of 
the  soldiers  at  G-uayama. 

The  process  of  ironing  was  much  the  same  as  that 
used  in  the  states  except  that  the  irons  were  rude 
instruments  to  say  the  least,  and  that  they  were 
heated  on  charcoal  burners.  After  the  clothing  had 
all  been  ironed  and  carefully  folded,  it  was  piled  in  a 
heap  and  delivered  according  to  the  memory  of  the 
one  who  had  collected  it.  The  result  of  this  method 
was  that  the  clothing  of  the  regiment  became  pretty 
thoroughly  mixed  up,  but  as  it  was  exactly  alike  ex- 


186  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

cept  linen,  no  one  suffered  a  great  deal.  The  com 
promising  feature  of  it  all,  was,  that  ten  cents  paid  for 
the  largest  washing  that  could  be  delivered.  Prices 
advanced  later  on,  however,  and  it  was  an  every-day 
occurrence  for  a  soldier  to  pay  fifty  cents  to  get  a 
shirt  washed  or  go  to  the  creek  and  do  it  himself. 

The  bathing  facilities  at  Guayama  were  better 
even  than  they  had  been  at  Chickamauga  park. 
Nearly  all  the  better  residences  in  the  city  were 
equipped  with  cement  bath  basins,  fitted  out  for 
shower  and  tub  baths.  The  privilege  of  these  was 
extended  to  the  soldiers,  and  they  availed  themselves 
generally.  Many  deep  pools  could  be  found  in  the 
Rio  Guayama  and  into  these  the  boys  plunged  their 
sweltering,  dirty  bodies  to  be  cleansed  and  refreshed. 

Another  advantage  which  the  duty  at  Guayama 
possessed  over  duty  at  Camp  Thomas,  was  the  beauti 
ful  scenery  which  stretched  out  in  every  direction. 
The  plain  extending  from  the  coast  to  the  city  of 
Guayama  was  skirted  on  the  east  by  a  high  and  beau 
tiful  mountain  ridge,  extending  almost  the  entire 
length  of  the  island.  This  ridge  was  clothed  with  a 
most  luxuriant  tropical  vegetation  except  in  the  more 
even  spots,  where  the  natives  had  cleared  it  of  its 
natural  dress  and  had  appropriated  spots  for  cultiva 
tion.  The  rich  southern  sky  for  a  back  ground  made 
a  view  of  the  eastern  mountain  ridge  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  landscapes  that  could  be  imagined.  Guay 
ama  was  inland  a  distance  of  about  three  miles  from 
the  deepest  part  of  a  gentle  bay.  The  mountain 
range  followed  the  curves  of  the  beach,  so  that  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     /.  187 

ridge  encircled  the  valley,  along  the  western  bank  of 
Rio  Guayama,  and  then  changing  its  course  again 
to  a  westerly  trend,  stretched  away  to  the  other  ex 
tremity  of  the  island,  apparently  burying  itself  in  the 
sea  below  and  in  the  clouds  above. 

Like  a  veritable  bed  of  roses  the  coast  plain 
reached  from  the  foot  of  the  hills  off  to  the  water's 
edge,  dotted  with  fields  of  waving  cane  and  orna 
mented  with  palms  and  ferns  whose  beauty  could  not 
Le  excelled  outside  of  Eden  itself.  As  a  back  ground 
for  this  view,  the  waves  of  the  Carribean  sea  danced 
against  the  mossy  banks  of  the  plain  and  then  lost 
themselves  in  the  deep  blue  bosom  of  the  mighty  sea. 
The  sight  of  a  single  sunset  as  it  lingered  at  the  top 
of  the  beautiful  mountain  range  for  a  moment,  then 
dropped  behind  the  hill  to  be  reflected  by  the  sea 
below  in  the  fleecy  clouds  above,  giving  to  the  whole 
a  coloring  which  no  brush  could  imitate,  was  well 
worth  a  journey  to  the  spot  to  witness. 

The  weather  was  certainly  hot.  It  was  almost 
impossible  for  a  sentry  to  pace  a  beat  in  the  sun  for 
more  than  a  few  minutes  without  being  completely 
overcome.  The  water  supply  in  the  city  was  secured 
from  large  springs  in  the  mountain  and  conveyed  to 
the  residences  and  other  buildings  through  thin  iron 
pipes,  but  it  was  very  warm,  and  such  a  luxury  as 
ice  could  not  be  secured  under  any  circumstances. 
There  was  an  ice  plant  at  Ponce,  however,  and  the 
supply  for  the  hospital  had  to  be  carted  across  the 
country  over  a  rough,  rocky  road  forty  miles  long. 
The  hills  were  warm  to  their  center  from  the  heat  of 


188  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  sun  above  and  the  heat  of  the  interior  beneath, 
so  that  the  water  never  was  and  probably  never  will 
be  cool.  The  water  for  drinking  and  cooking  at  the 
outposts  was  secured  from  the  streams  and  springs. 
It  was  all  very  warm  and  unrefreshing,  so  that  the 
men  suffered  considerably  from  thirst. 

A  short  time  after  the  city  had  been  captured, 
the  telegraph  line  which  had  been  abandoned  by  the 
Spaniards  was  placed  in  repair  and  in  this  way  the 
signal  corps  opened  communication  with  Ponce. 
Until  that  time  messages  had  to  be  carried  by  dis 
patch  boats  along  the  coast. 

Newspapers  and  news  associations  were  obliged 
to  file  their  reports  at  St.  Thomas,  a  Danish  island, 
about  seventy  miles  from  Guayama.  The  reports 
from  Guayama  were  taken  to  Arroyo  and  there  de 
livered  to  special  news  boats,  which  carried  the  mes 
sages  to  St.  Thomas  or  Jamaica.  No  mail  had,  of 
course,  been  received  from  home  as  yet,  and  the  men 
were  practically  in  ignorance  of  what  was  going  on 
at  Washington  or  Madrid.  A  meager  report  would 
occasionally  reach  the  camp  through  the  newspaper 
boats  and  these  would  instantly  magnify  into  the 
wildest  rumors  that  could  possibly  have  been  in 
vented. 

The  health  of  the  men  during  the  first  week 
was  far  better  than  any  one  had  anticipated.  Several 
men  had  been  overcome  by  the  heat  and  there  was 
one  or  two  cases  of  typhoid  fever,  but  these  were 
supposed  to  have  been  developed  at  Chickamauga 
park.  With  everything  apparently  in  their  favor, 


THE    FOURTH     O.     V.     I.  189 

with  a  prospect  before  them  of  just  such  an  experi 
ence  as  they  had  longed  for  and  worked  for  in  the 
Camp  Thomas  training  school,  the  spirits  of  the  boys 
remained  as  bright  as  they  had  been  since  the  regi 
ment  left  Columbus  in  May. 

It  was  under  such  conditions  as  those  just  de 
scribed  that  the  first  impressions  of  Porto  Rico  were 
formed.  The  men  thought  that  they  had  surely 
reached  a  paradise  and  they  were  happy.  Some  be 
gan  to  lay  plans  for  remaining  there  after  the  war. 
Others  wrote  home  to  their  friends,  telling  them  what 
a  resort  had  been  found,  and  urging  them  to  follow 
as  soon  as  possible.  The  more  enthusiastic  attempted 
to  purchase  real  estate  and  to  make  arrangements 
for  settling  down  for  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

On  August  10th  the  hospital  corps  and  the  regi 
mental  detachments  arrived  at  Arroyo.  A  field  hos 
pital  was  established  there,  but  it  was  removed  in  a 
day  later  to  near  Guayama.  Other  troops  began  to 
appear,  cavalry  and  artillery,  besides  the  escort  which 
had  covered  the  march  of  the  hospital  outfit  from 
Ponce.  The  horses  and  mules  belonging  to  the 
brigade  arrived  also,  and  final  preparations  began 
making  for  the  advance  toward  Cayey  and  San  Juan. 
News  reached  Guayama  that  Spain  had  sued  for  peace 
and  that  hostilities  would  soon  cease,  and  it  was  de 
termined  that  if  anything  should  be  done  it  must  be 
done  at  once  in  order  to  hold  as  much  territory  as 
possible  when  the  end  should  come.  Orderlies  and 
staff  officers  could  be  seen  hurrying  from  one  head 
quarters  to  the  other  all  day  on  the  12th,  and  that 


190  TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

night  the  commanding  officers  were  called  to  brigade 
headquarters,  where  the  plan  for  the  movement  was 
explained  to  them  and  each  was  assigned  the  duty 
which  he  was  to  perform. 

About  11  o'clock  Thursday  night,  the  battalion 
commanders  were  instructed  to  have  their  companies 
ready  to  move  at  5  on  the  morning  of  the  13th.  All 
the  companies  had  now  been  sent  to  outpost  duty, 
Company  B  having  been  again  relieved.  They  were 
not  disturbed  that  night,  however,  but  the  order  was 
communicated  to  them  early  the  next  morning. 

Shortly  after  the  battalion  commanders  had  re 
ceived  their  instructions,  Captain  Sellers,  of  D  Com 
pany,  called  at  headquarters  and  asked  for  Major 
Sellers,  of  the  Third  Battalion.  When  he  found  the 
major,  the  captain  reported  one  of  the  saddest  acci 
dents  that  could  have  happened  throughout  the  whole 
campaign. 

One  of  the  outposts  guarded  by  Company  D  was 
at  a  lonely  spot  on  the  north  side  of  the  mountain, 
east  of  the  Guayama  bridge.  This  post  was  in  com 
mand  of  Lieutenant  Turner,  and  one  of  the  members 
of  the  Guard  was  Private  Sam  Hill.  Private  Hill 
had  been  relieved  and  had  gone  to  his  tent  until  his 
turn  would  again  come  to  take  post.  It  is  supposed 
that  he  arose  in  his  sleep  and  wandered  from  his  tent. 
Those  on  guard  at  the  time  could  not  have  noticed 
him  leave  his  tent,  hence  his  comrades  were  in  ig 
norance  of  his  absence. 

The  hills  and  the  valley  below  were  known  to  be 
full  of  Spanish  guerillas  and  picket  duty  on  these 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  191 

posts  was  very  dangerous.  One  of  the  guards  who 
had  relieved  Private  Hill  and  the  relief  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  noticed  an  object  moving  in  the  dark 
ness  near  his  post  and  he  at  once  commanded  "halt." 
The  challenge  was  unheeded,  but  it  was  repeated  only 
to  be  again  unheeded.  The  moving  object  had  every 
appearance  of  a  human  being,  but  in  the  darkness  it 
was  impossible  to  distinguish  between  friend  and  foe. 
Before  offering  the  third  challenge  the  sentry  called 
out,  "For  God's  sake  speak  or  I'll  fire!"  and  at  this 
somewhat  irregular  but  conscientious  challenge,  it 
seemed  to  raise  up  as  if  to  spring,  and  the  sentry  fired. 
Investigation  showed  that  the  object  had  in 
deed  been  a  human  being  and  that  it  was  Private 
Hill.  The  sentry  who  had  fired  the  fatal  shot  was 
crazed  with  grief  when  he  saw  the  lifeless  body  of  his 
comrade,  but  he  had  done  his  duty  and  was  blameless. 
The  news  of  the  accident  fell  like  a  pall  upon  the 
entire  company,  but  every  member  realized  that  no 
person  was  in  any  way  at  fault,  and  the  body  of  the 
unfortunate  man  was  laid  tenderly  away  in  the  gov 
ernment  burial  lot  at  Guayama. 


192  TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


BEGINNING  OF  THE  END. 

Imposing  Scenes — Breakfast  in  the  Rain — Expedition  As 
signed  to  Fourth  Ohio — March  Begun — Guide  "Backs 
Out"— Plan  of  Operations— A  Rocky  Road— A  Hot 
Day — Danger  in  Straggling — Lunch  and  a  Short  Rest — 
End  of  the  March— Hostilities  Suspended— Retraced 
Steps— Friday  and  the  Thirteenth— Intense  Suffering- 
Temporary  Camp— Hospital  Call— Permanent  Camp. 

On  the  morning  of  August  13th  the  members 
of  the  Fourth  witnessed  a  sight  they  could  never 
forget.  A  light  rain  had  fallen  during  the  night  in 
the  city,  but  out  where  the  companies  were  located, 
the  rain  was  quite  heavy  and  continued  until  some 
time  after  daylight.  The  men  were  obliged  to  pre 
pare  breakfast  and  get  ready  for  the  day's  work  in 
this  kind  of  weather,  but  there  was  very  little 
grumbling  except  that  they  had  not  been  given  a 
warning  sooner  of  what  was  to  come.  The  regiment 
assembled  early  and  before  7  o'clock  it  was  reported 
to  General  Haines  ready  for  duty. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  give  the  general  plan  of 
the  movement  in  this  connection,  even  if  the  details 
were  at  hand.  The  object  was  of  course  the  conquest 
of  the  island  and  the  immediate  capture  and  possession 
of  the  city  of  Cayey,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  the 
same  name.  General  Brooke  was  on  the  scene  of 
action  and  personally  conducted  the  initial  move 
ments.  The  Fourth  Ohio  had  been  recommended  to 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  193 

him  as  a  command  which  could  be  thoroughly  relied 
upon,  and  from  this  recommendation  and  from  what 
he  had  seen  at  Camp  Thomas,  the  regiment  was  as 
signed  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  movement. 

The  regiment  assembled  on  the  road  leading 
from  Guayama  to  Cayey,  between  the  city  and  the 
bridge.  Before  they  could  proceed  on  the  march, 
however,  and  while  they  were  in  line,  General  Brooke 
and  his  entire  staff  passed  up  the  road.  Following 
the  general  and  his  staff  came  a  large  detachment  of 
cavalry,  the  most  of  them  regular,  one  troop,  the 
First  City  Troop  of  Philadelphia.  The  firm,  reso 
lute  faces  of  these  men  as  they  galloped  along  the 
line  of  the  Fourth,  gave  the  boys  a  feeling  of  confi 
dence  and  they  were  more  anxious  than  ever  to 
measure  strength  with  the  Spanish  forces. 

The  rear  of  the  cavalry  column  had  hardly 
paszed  when  the  sonorous  rumbling  of  artillery  was 
heard  as  it  rattled  over  the  road  into  position  beyond 
the  bridge.  Then  came  Colonel  Bennit  at  the  head 
of  the  Third  Illinois  and  then  the  Fourth  Pennsyl 
vania,  commanded  by  Colonel  Case.  Knowing  the 
situation  as  they  did,  the  Fourth  Ohio  at  first  regarded 
with  considerable  suspicion  the  result  of  this  expedi 
tion,  for  they  knew  full  well  that  from  their  position 
in  the  hills  the  Spaniards  could  see  exactly  what  was 
going  on  and  that  they  were  as  a  matter  of  course  pre 
paring  to  receive  any  attack  that  might  be  made.  The 
resolute  appearance  of  the  men  who  had  passed  with 
the  cavalry,  however,  and  the  heavy  guns  that  spoke 
destruction  inevitable,  manned  by  men  who  were  aa 


194  THE    FOURTH     O.     V.    I. 

anxious  to  fight  as  the  members  of  the  Fourth  Ohio 
could  have  ever  been,  and  these,  backed  up  by  the 
other  regiments  of  the  brigade,  of  which  the  Fourth 
Ohio  was  a  part,  inspired  such  a  feeling  in  the  minds 
of  the  boys  that  they  expected  to  see  the  very  hills 
before  them  torn  to  pieces  and  the  war  brought  to  a 
summary  close  before  night  fall. 

As  soon  as  this  force  had  cleared  the  way,  the 
Fourth  Ohio  started  on  the  march,  in  an  opposite  di 
rection,  or  back  towards  the  town.  They  passed  on 
through  Guayama  and  on  to  the  road  leading  to 
Ponce,  This  road  was  followed  for  a  distance  of 
nearly  a  mile  when  a  turn  was  made  to  the  right  and 
the  line  of  march  was  continued  along  a  rough,  rocky 
road  that  had  the  appearance  of  being  a  private  lane. 
The  Second  Battalion  marched  at  the  head  of  the  col 
umn  and  the  First  Battalion  was  assigned  to  the  rear. 
The  march  was  well  protected  by  a  strong  advance 
guard,  E  Company  under  Captain  Vincent  having 
been  assigned  to  this  duty. 

The  column  advanced  through  fields  and  across 
meadows,  over  deep  ditches  and  along  rugged  streams, 
pushing  its  way  at  times  through  thickets  and  planta 
tions  and  again  coming  out  into  rocky  barren  places 
where  the  horses  could  hardly  be  pushed  along  at 
all.  A  guide  had  been  secured  to  point  out  the  way, 
but  when  it  came  to  the  test,  he  refused  to  go  along. 
General  Haines  accompanied  this  expedition  and  he 
at  once  sent  back  to  Guayama  for  Emanuel  Lucinarius 
who  bravely  offered  to  show  the  way  through  the 
mountains. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  195 

Briefly  stated,  the  plan  was  for  the  Fourth  Ohio 
to  take  a  very  circuitous  route  through  the  mountains, 
arriving  at  the  rear  of  the  town,  while  the  remainder 
of  the  force  was  to  have  advanced  over  the  main  road. 
The  main  column  would  probably  have  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  entire  Spanish  force,  so  that  the 
Fourth  Ohio  could  have  moved  practically  unnoticed 
into  a  strong  position  and  the  work  would  have  been 
done.  At  the  same  time  General  Miles,  with  his 
army  at  Ponce,  would  advance  from  Comoa,  the  town 
which  had  already  been  captured  with  a  small  loss, 
so  that  the  Spaniards  would  have  been  compelled  to 
exhaust  their  every  resource  to  cope  with  such  a 
movement. 

The  men  had  been  ordered  to  take  two  days'  ra 
tions  with  them,  and  this,  added  to  the  weight  of  the 
regular  equipment  began  to  weigh  pretty  heavily  on 
the  men  before  they  had  gone  very  far.  The  tac 
tics  that  had  been  followed  on  the  march  from 
Arroyo  were  again  adopted  and  shelter  tents,  blan 
kets  and  ponchos  were  thrown  by  the  wayside.  The 
rains  had  entirely  ceased  and  the  sun  beat  down  upon 
the  men  most  unmercifully.  The  band  had  again 
left  their  instruments  behind  and  were  acting  as  mem 
bers  of  the  hospital  corps.  The  sun  beat  down  upon 
these  men,  however,  with  as  much  force  as  it  did 
upon  the  companies,  and  they  were  almost  as  help 
less  as  the  other  men.  They  accomplished  much 
good,  however,  by  caring  as  best  they  could  under 
the  circumstances,  for  the  men  who  were  compelled 
to  drop  from  the  ranks  on  account  of  the  heat. 


196  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

Considering  the  terrible  heat  and  the  rate  at 
which  the  inarch  was  kept  up  in  order  to  reach  the 
town  at  the  appointed  time,  there  were  not  as  many 
stragglers  as  might  be  supposed.  There  was  a  light 
in  view  and  this  kept  the  spirits  of  the  men  in  such 
condition  that  they  could  have  borne  even  worse  hard 
ships  than  they  had  yet  suffered.  Before  noon,  how 
ever,  the  unrelenting  heat  had  Claimed  quite  a  num 
ber  of  victims  and  the  poor  fellows  who  could  go  no 
further  were  cared  for  as  well  as  could  be  done  many 
miles  from  a  hospital. 

Strangling  was  very  dangerous,  for  the  moun 
tains  were  known  to  be  full  of  guerillas  and  scouts 
from  the  Spanish  army,  and  it  was  learned  after  hos 
tilities  had  been  suspended  that  small  reconnoitering 
parties  had  actually  concealed  themselves  and  watched 
the  regiment  thread  its  way  through  the  bushes  and 
among  the  rocks.  They  were  in  such  small  force, 
however,  that  they  regarded  it  folly  to  make  their 
presence  known  in  any  way,  but  had  the  line  of  march 
been  marked  with  men  who  had  fallen  from  the  ranks, 
they  could  easily  have  been  captured  and  carried 
away  to  Spanish  prisons. 

A  peculiar  fact  connected  with  the  history  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  is  that  every  movement  was  either  made 
on  Friday  or  on  the  13th  day  of  the  month.  This 
movement  was  made  both  on  Friday  and  on  the  Thir 
teenth,  and  while  the  regiment  at  least  as  a  whole 
was  not  superstitious  in  any  way,  many  of  the  mem 
bers  fully  expected  that  something  serious  would 
happen.  Dozens  of  places  were  passed,  where,  if  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  197 


Spaniards  had  seen  or  had  been  ready  to  act,  the 
regiment  could  have  been  wiped  out  of  existence  so 
completely  that  not  one  would  have  survived  to  tell 
the  tale.  As  these  places  were  passed  the  men  in 
voluntarily  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  and  figuratively 
"held  their  breath"  until  the  next  pass  came  into 
view.  Every  rifle  was  loaded,  chamber  and  magazine, 
and  during  most  of  the  march,  every  trigger  had  a 
finder  ready  to  touch  it  in  the  name  of  "Fair  Co 
lumbia  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes." 

The  regiment  reached  a  beautiful,  well-shaded 
snot  along  the  bank  of  one  of  the  mountain  streams, 
about  noon,  and  here  a  short  stop  was  made  for  din 
ner.  No  fires  were  kindled  except  a  few  of  sticks 
where  the  men  prepared  cups  of  coffee.  "Prime 
Roast  Beef,"  "Boston  Baked  Beans,"  and  "Finest 
Quality  Tomatoes,"  with  a  liberal  supply  of  hard 
tack  and  river  water,  made  up  the  menu  of  the  lunch 
but  it  was  heartily  enjoyed  by  all,  as  was  also  the 
short  rest  which  was  permitted  after  lunch. 

When  all  was  again  ready,  the  march  was  re 
sumed,  but  perhaps  at  a  little  higher  rate  of  speed 
until  the  last  mountain  pass  was  reached.  This  was 
little  short  of  a  cliff,  but  it  had  to  be  surmounted  just 
the  same,  as  the  other  bad  places  had  to  be  gone  over. 
It  was  about  2  o'clock  when  the  foot  of  this  hill  was 
reached  and  a  brief  rest  had  been  ordered  before  the 
ascent  was  commenced.  It  would  have  required 
about  an  hour  for  the  regiment  to  have  climbed  this 
place,  but  at  the  top  all  the  fighting  that  had  ever 
been  asked  for  was  waiting.  The  command,  "For- 


198  THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

ward!"  had  just  been  given  when  an  officer  of  the 
signal  corps,  Major  Dean,  overtook  the  regiment,  his 
horse  covered  with  lather  and  foam  and  almost  ex 
hausted.  When  he  reached  the  rear  of  the  column, 
he  called  for  them  to  make  way.  He  pushed  through 
as  rapidly  as  the  men  could  make  way  for  him,  shout 
ing  as  he  did  so,  "Tell  the  colonel  to  halt."  When 
the  major  had  reached  the  colonel  and  General 
Haines,  he  delivered  a  message  from  General  Brooke, 
announcing  that  dispatches  had  been  received  from 
Washington  with  the  intelligence  that  hostilities  be 
tween  the  United  States  and  the  kingdom  of  Spain 
had  been  suspended,  and  that  there  would  be  no  more 
fighting,  at  least  for  the  time  being.  The  Fourth 
Ohio  was  then  ordered  back  to  Guayama,  to  report 
as  soon  as  possible. 

"This  is  Friday  and  the  13th,"  observed  a  sol 
dier,  who  had  been  an  observer.  "I  told  you  some 
thing  would  happen,  and  now  sure  enough  we  are  up 
against  the  worst  snap  we  have  struck  since  we  left 
home.  All  this  killing  march  for  nothing.  It  does 
beat  -  — ,"  and  here  the  pessimistic  observation 
was  drowned  in  the  cheer  that  went  up  from  the  ranks 
for  Uncle  Sam.  The  march  had  been  a  severe  one, 
and  it  seemed  hard  for  the  boys  to  turn  their 
backs  to  the  enemy  they  had  yearned  so  much  to 
meet,  but  knowing  that  a  fight  on  that  ground  would 
have  resulted  seriously  if  not  disastrously,  the  boys 
accepted  their  fate  as  best  they  could  and  after  a 
short  rest  started  back  to  town. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  199 

If  the  advance  had  been  a  severe  trial,  the  re 
turn  trip  to  the  city  was  a  severer  one.  The  first 
march  had  been  attended  with  novelty,  and  with 
interest  and  a  promise  of  excitement,  but  now  that  the 
boys  had  to  pick  their  way  back  over  the  rough  road 
without  having  accomplished  anything  or  without  re 
ceiving  an  opportunity  of  showing  what  Ohio  citizen 
soldiers  could  do,  the  regiment  as  a  whole  was  sadly 
discouraged,  and  very  uncomplimentary  remarks  were 
made  concerning  the  "backbone"  of  the  Spanish  gov 
ernment  and  the  fighting  quality  of  her  soldiers. 
However,  a  soldier's  value  is  estimated  by  his  willing 
ness  and  promptness  in  obeying  orders,  and  here  the 
Fourth  Ohio  did  its  duty  just  as  it  had  done  on  every 
occasion  since  the  day  it  was  accepted  as  a  volunteer 
regiment. 

The  Third  Battalion  took  the  lead  on  the  return 
and  they  set  a  merry  pace.  Half  running,  the  col 
umn  retraced  its  steps  back  to  town  as  though  it  had  a 
record  to  beat  and  had  there  been  one  it  certainly 
would  have  been  beaten,  for  before  the  sun  had  sunk 
behind  the  hills  the  regiment  had  just  climbed  and 
then  descended,  a  camp  had  been  established  and 
preparations  were  going  on  for  the  night  camp  along 
the  Ponce  road,  at  the  point  where  the  regiment  had 
left  it  earlier  in  the  day. 

On  the  return  there  was  a  large  number  of  stragu 
glers,  for  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  the  severe  physical 
strain  of  the  march  had  so  nearly  worn  out  a  great 
number  of  the  men  that  they  were  wholly  unable  to 
keep  up.  They  were  compelled,  for  lack  of  strength, 


200  TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

to  drop  out  and  rest,  returning  to  the  regiment  as  best 
they  could.  The  hospital  corps  at  first  attempted 
to  assist  these  men,  but  the  number  increased  so  rap 
idly  that  no  possible  means  could  be  devised  to  help 
them  and  they  were  obliged  to  get  along  as  best  they 
could.  Lack  of  water  and  of  nourishing  or  refreshing 
food  had  rendered  them  almost  helpless,  and  words 
fail  to  describe  the  suffering  of  that  afternoon.  Men 
threw  away  what  clothing  they  could  spare  in  order 
to  lighten  their  load  and  to  make  better  progress. 
Some  threw  their  weary  bodies  into  the  streams  in 
the  hope  that  in  that  way  they  could  quench  their 
parching  thirst.  Men  lay  at  the  roadside  begging 
for  water,  while  their  comrades  were  forced  to  pass 
by  them,  wholly  unable  to  give  them  more  than  a 
quaff  of  the  tepid  water  from  the  little  rivulets  which 
had  almost  boiled  under  the  terrible  heat  of  the  trop 
ical  sun.  Some  of  these  men  did  not  rejoin  the  regi 
ment  until  the  next  day,  preferring  remaining  out  in 
the  open  country  to  dragging  their  exhausted  bodies 
over  the  rocks  before  they  had  enjoyed  a  night's  rest. 

As  soon  as  the  temporary  camp  was  established, 
the  men  were  permitted  to  report  at  the  hospital,  and 
quite  a  number  improved  this  opportunity  to  prepare 
for  the  fight  against  disease.  Quite  a  few  were  ad 
mitted  to  the  hospital  as  patients,  and  it  is  very  grati 
fying  to  note  that  no  permanent  evil  resulted  from 
the  terrible  march. 

Supper  was  prepared  and  the  men,  after  taking 
liberal  quantities  of  hot  coffee  into  their  stomachs, 
^wrapped  themselves  in  the  few  blankets  which  re- 


TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  201 

mained,  and  creeping  into  the  little  shelter  tents 
buried  themselves  in  sleep  until  morning.  The 
camp  was  not  in  existence  long,  for  early  the  next 
day  the  regiment  removed  to  a  hill  side  at  the  nurth 
side  of  the  city,  the  new  camp  bordering  on  one  of  the 
Guayama  streets  at  the  south  and  another,  the  main 
street  or  the  road  to  Cayey  on  the  west.  The  new 
camp  was  made  with  the  wall  tents  which  had  been 
brought  from  Chickamauga  park,  a  decided  improve 
ment  over  the  low  thin  "pup-tents." 

If  a  careful  survey  of  the  whole  island  of  Porto 
Rico  had  been  made,  a  worse  location  for  a  military 
camp  could  hardly  have  been  selected.  There  was 
one  advantage  and  that  was  the  convenience  to  a 
water  supply,  the  city  water  station  being  located 
within  the  limits  of  the  camp.  This  proved  inade 
quate,  however,  and  water  for  cooking  and  some  for 
drinking  purposes  had  to  be  carried  from  the  city. 
The  camp  was  on  a  hillside  at  the  base  of  the  moun 
tain  range  already  described.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill 
was  Rio  Guayama,  and  this  made  it  convenient  for 
washing  clothes  and  for  bathing,  but  the  Third  Il 
linois  later  occupied  a  field  further  up  the  stream 
and  the  water  was  thoroughly  polluted  bythe  "Suckers" 
before  it  reached  the  limits  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  camp. 
The  surface  of  the  ground  was  such  that  it  was  abso 
lutely  impossible  to  take  a  step  in  any  direction  with 
out  going  either  up  or  down  hill.  As  popular  «s  dress 
parades  were  with  the  regiment,  a  parade  ground  could 
not  be  found  capable  of  permitting  a  review  in  more 
than  a  column  of  platoons  and  even  these  were  often 


202  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

obliged  to  break  to  pieces  in  passing  the  reviewing 
officer.  Permission  could  not  be  secured,  however, 
to  removo  the  camp  to  a  more  favorable  location  and 
the  regiment  made  this  place  its  home  until  October 
6th,  when  the  start  was  made  across  the  island  for 
San  Juan  and  the  states. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  203 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  CAMP  AT  GUAYAMA. 

Miserable  Location — Causes  of  Dissatisfaction — Health  of 
the  Men — Desire  to  Return  Home — Sickness — Condition 
at  Hospital — Changes  in  Commanders — Market — Finan 
cial  Condition  of  Men — The  Paymaster — Better  Times — 
Visit  of  Mr.  Klotts— Orders  to  Move — Brigade  Dis 
banded. 

The  camp  at  Guayama  was  in  existence  from 
August  14  to  October  6,  when,  under  orders  to  re 
turn  to  the  United  States,  the  regiment  marched 
across  the  mountains  to  Cayey,  thence  to  Caguas  and 
from  there  to  Rio  Piedras  and  proceeded  to  San  Juan. 
The  camp  has  already  been  described  as  to  its  posi 
tion  and  surface.  The  members  of  the  regiment  had 
but  one  consolation  when  the  camp  was  established: 
The  assurance  that  hostilities  having  ceased,  or  at 
least  suspended,  the  war  would  soon  be  declared  off 
and  the  regiment  returned  to  its  home  in  Ohio.  Had 
it  been  generally  known  at  the  time  this  camp  was 
formed  that  the  regiment  would  remain  there  two 
long  months,  the  howl  that  would  have  gone  up  from 
the  company  streets  would  have  been  heard  in  Wash 
ington. 

One  of  the  first  duties  after  the  camp  was  formed, 
was  the  digging  of  sinks  and  other  preparations  look 
ing  to  the  health  and  comfort  of  the  men  during-  the 
occupation  of  the  camp,  whatever  length  of  time  that 
might  be.  It  should  be  remembered  in  this  connection 


204  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

that  the  only  commissary  stores  received  at  Guayania 
were  those  which  had  constituted  the  diet  of  the  reg 
iment  since  the  day  tha  regimental  camp  at  Camp 
Thomas  had  been  abandoned.  The  regiment  was  not 
traveling,  much  as  it  wanted  to,  but  "travel  rations" 
continued  to  come  in  from  the  United  States.  The 
first  few  days  the  boys  managed  to  get  along  fairly 
well  by  buyj/jg  and  bartering  of  the  natives  sucn  ar 
ticles  of  f  ,od  as  the  island  produced  and  a  few  arti 
cles  that  had  been  imported.  They  were  unable  to 
Jo  this  very  long,  however,  from  the  fact  that  no  pa^- 
mtister  had  yet  appeared  at  the  camp  and  the  funds 
of  most  of  the  men  had  become  practically  exhausted. 

About  the  time  the  boys  began  to  think  seriously 
of  rising  up  and  demanding  as  one  man  that  more 
and  better  rations  be  issued,  they  began  to  under 
stand  that  it  was  not  the  fault  of  the  regimental  or 
company  officers  that  they  were  not  better  fed,  but 
that  it  was  '"he  fault  of  those  in  the  states  who  hao 
the  matter  of  feeding  the  army  in  hand.  All  com 
missary  stores  were  purchased  by  contract  and  if  the 
contractors  could  furnish  the  stores  that  would  fill 
their  coffers  more  rapidly  than  to  furnish  the  kind  of 
food  which  the  men  in  the  field  wanted  and  which 
they  needed,  the  former  was  invariably  sent  to  Cuba 
and  to  Porto  Eico.  It  made  little  difference  how 
much  the  men  who  had  to  eat  these  things,  objected, 
the  issues  continued  the  same. 

The  first  diversion  from  the  fare  described  was 
rice  and  potatoes.  The  issue  was  very  small,  but  with 
its  aid,  the  spirits  of  the  boys  were  wonderfully 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  205 

strengthened.  Company  officers  did  much  also  to 
lessen  the  suffering  of  their  men  by  saving  the  issues 
of  canned  beef,  tomatoes,  hard  tack  and  beans  and 
trading  it  to  native  merchants  for  yams,  eggs,  milk 
and  other  provisions  better  sv'ted  to  the  climate  and 
to  the  condition  of  the  men. 

The  health  of  the  regiment  first  began  to  break 
down  while  this  camp  was  occupied.  At  Chicka- 
mauga  park,  both  the  other  regiments  of  the  brigade 
had  suffered  comparatively  heavy  losses  by  death  for 
soldiers  not  in  an  active  campaign.  Their  hospitals 
were  full  and  their  men  were  during  much  of  the  time 
anfit  for  duty  on  account  of  sickness,  but  during  all 
this  time  the  Fourth  Ohio  had  suffered  very  little 
sickness  and  but  one  death  had  occurred  in  the  regi 
ment.  This  was  the  only  death  that  occurred  before 
the  regiment  left  the  United  States.  It  was  but  a 
few  days  after  Porto  Rico  was  reached,  however,  that 
sickness  began  to  appear  and  there  was  a  death  before 
the  camp  at  Guayama  had  been  established.  This  was 
Daniel  H.  Dodge,  of  H  company,  who  was  buried  at 
the  cemetery  at  Arroyo  by  CuDtair  Donavin  and  sev 
eral  other  members  of  the  regiment. 

There  were  several  causes  which  comv  \ned  to 
break  down  the  health  of  the  men.  Without  going 
into  technicality  or  detail,  these  were,  the  absence  of 
proper  food,  the  change  in  climate,  homesickness  and 
the  indulgence  in  the  use  of  the  native  fruits  and 
pastry.  The  latter  may  not  have  caused  any  deaths, 
hut  the  eating  of  mangoes  and  some  of  the  candies 
and  other  products  of  the  native  kitchen,  in  spite  of 


206  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  warning  of  the  surgeons  and  the  orders  of  the 
colonel  and  company  commanders,  rendered  many 
soldiers  unfit  for  duty.  Once  sick,  many  of  them 
would  give  up  their  thoughts  to  home  and  those  they 
had  left  behind,  and  before  the  patient  or  his  com 
rades  were  aware,  these  were  at  the  hospital  in  a  criti 
cal  condition.  There  was  very  little  of  this  class  of 
disease  when  compared  with  that  found  in  the  other 
commands  on  the  island.  Either  the  discipline  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  was  better,  the  men  wiser,  or  they  were 
less  fortunately  situated  as  to  finances. 

The  change  in  climate  and  the  lack  of  proper 
food  claimed  several  victims,  but  neither  the  men  nor 
the  officers  over  them  were  at  fault  in  this  matter. 
The  seat  of  this  trouble  has  already  been  located.  It 
is  a  fact  also  that  the  mere  fact  that  the  men  were 
members  of  the  army  and  that  they  were  in  an  active 
campaign  and  suffering  all  the  inconveniences  inci 
dent  to  that  kind  of  duty,  had  very  little  if  anything 
to  do  with  the  suffering  superinduced  by  the  change 
in  climate.  Persons  going  to  tropical  from  temper 
ate  climates  on  pleasure  tours  suffer  the  same  diffi 
culty.  But  these  causes  combined  had  an  evil  effect 
and  can  not  be  overlooked. 

These  were  times  that  were  trying  to  the  medi 
cal  department.  Major  Semans  and  Dr.  Wright 
worked  night  and  day  to  relieve  the  suffering  of  the 
men  and  with  the  aid  of  the  stewards  and  the  other 
members  of  the  regiment  who  had  been  detailed  to 
duty  at  the  hospital,  many  lives  were  saved  and  much 
suffering  was  relieved  or  entirely  avoided.  The  work 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     /.  207 

of  the  hospital  men  in  this  camp  as  well  as  during 
all  the  time  in  which  the  regiment  was  in  the  service 
was  certainly  well  done  and  too  much  praise  can  not 
be  accorded  them.  At  any  hour  during  the  day  or 
night  that  men  went  to  the  hospital,  some  one  was 
awake  and  ready  and  willing  to  take  care  of  the  pa 
tient.  The  work  of  the  hospital  corps  is  treated  else 
where,  but  it  is  only  proper  to  mention  in  this  con 
nection  the  untiring  effort  and  the  noble  work  of  Doc 
tors  McMurray,  Wilson,  Carson,  Nurses  Lane,  Reed 
and  others  who,  on  account  of  their  knowledge  of 
medicine  and  the  care  of  the  sick  were  assigned  to 
duty  with  the  regimental  surgeons.  These  men 
worked  without  commissions  and  without  extra  pay 
except  the  satisf action  of  knowing  that  they  were  do 
ing  much  good  for  their  comrades  in  distress.  Major 
Semans  worked  himself  sick  and  had  Dr.  Wright 
been  obliged  to  have  remained  on  duty  at  the  regi 
mental  hospital,  he  wotild  have  undoubtedly  broken 
completely  down. 

Patients  could  not  be  retained  in  the  regimental 
hospital  for  more  than  several  days,  when  they  were 
removed  to  the  general  hospital.  Matters  here  were 
in  a  most  deplorable  condition  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  following  extract  from  a  written  statement  by  an 
officer  of  the  Fourth  Ohio : 

"On  the  eighth  day  of  August  my  brother  was 
taken  sick  with  the  fever,  and  reported  to  the  sur 
geons  of  the  Fourth,  whose  quarters  were  then  in  the 
old  Spanish  barracks,  and  at  my  request  he  was  later 
moved  to  the  Red  Cross  hospital,  where  he  received 


208  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     /. 

very  good  treatment  from  our  surgeons.  Upon  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Hidecooper  they  were  ordered  to 
move  the  sick  men  to  an  unprepared  hospital  on  the 
Lill,  close  to  the  city,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  the 
men  were  in  no  condition  to  be  moved  at  that  time, 
Colonel  Coit  ordered  the  men  to  be  left  where  they 
were,  and  insisted  on  his  orders  being  obeyed,  but 
Colonel  Hidecooper  then  got  an  order  from  General 
Brooke  and  Colonel  Coit  was  powerless  to  retain  the 
men. 

"WTrile  this  dispute  was  going  on  the  sick  men 
were  loaded  and  unloaded  several  times  from  the  am 
bulance.  The  men  were  finally  moved,  while  it  was 
raining,  and  that  evening  there  came  to  me  an  inti 
mation  that  they  were  not  being  properly  taken  car*- 
of.  I  immediately  went  to  the  hospital,  where  my  eye~ 
were  greeted  with  such  a  sight  as  I  hope  never  to 
witness  again.  Men  in  all  stages  of  fever  and  other 
kinds  of  sickness  were  lying  on  the  ground  with  noth 
ing  to  lie  upon  save  their  own  blankets,  and  a  large 
portion  of  the  men  were  not  under  even  a  tent,  but 
were  lying  beneath  a  fly,  where  the  rain  was  dripping 
in  upon  them,  and  for  over  a  week  the  men  had  noth 
ing  to  eat  except  regular  army  rations,  unless  some 
kind  hearted  comrade  would  spend  some  of  his 
meagre  salary  for  food  for  his  friend." 

In  a  quiet  spot  in  one  corner  of  the  cemetery  at 
Guayama  is  a  little  lot  belonging  temporarily  to  the 
United  States.  Here  under  the  sweltering  rays  of 
the  southern  sun  lie  buried  the  remains  of  those 
noble  sons  of  Ohio  who  were  unable  to  withstand  the 


I 

THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  209 

hardships  of  military  service.  They  had  fought 
bravely  the  enemy  of  their  native  land,  they  had 
braved  the  dangers  and  the  hardships  of  the  march 
and  the  watch,  but  they  had  been  stricken  from  the 
ranks  in  the  still  watches  of  the  night  by  the  hand 
that  no  military  power  could  stay.  Each  of  these  was 
tenderly  laid  to  rest  on  beds  of  beautiful  flowers  and 
the  last  sad  rites  were  performed  with  the  same 
reverence  and  tenderness  which  marks  the  part 
ing  of  loved  ones  in  the  Christian  home.  Each 
time  the  muffled  notes  of  the  drum  announced 
the  muster  out  of  a  comrade,  heads  were  bared  and  to 
the  slow,  mournful  step  of  the  funeral  march,  the 
remaining  members  of  the  company  of  which  the 
dead  soldier  had  been  a  member,  followed  the  rude 
bier  to  the  little  cemetery  where  a  beautiful  funeral 
ceremony  was  performed  and  with  the  last  sound 
ing  of  "taps/7  the  departed  one  was  left  to  know  no 
more  of  the  cares  of  military  life  or  the  sorrows  of  a 
world  where  men  meet  men  at  the  point  of  the  sword. 

The  graves  of  all  the  deceased  members  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  were  plainly  marked  with  wooden  slabs 
and  as  this  account  goes  to  press,  arrangements  are 
being  made  for  their  transfer  back  to  the  soil  which 
gave  them  birth  and  which  thev  left  to  fight  for  the 
honor  of  their  homes  and  native  land. 

The  seasons  of  the  year  in  Porto  Rico  are  sup 
posed  to  be  the  "wet"  and  the  "dry"  seasons,  but  the 
experience  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  at  Guayama  failed  to 
teach  any  of  its  members  "which  was  which."  On 
one  day  the  rain  would  fall  in  torrents  and  the  next 


210  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

day  it  would  seem  as  though  no  rain  had  fallen  for 
months.  Some  times  the  men  would  answer  the  first 
morning  roll  call  in  a  driving  rain,  but  before  noon 
the  sun  would  beat  down  upon  the  canvas  tents  with 
such  unrelenting  force  that  the  occupants  were  com 
pelled  to  spread  their  blankets  on  the  canvas  to  pro 
tect  themselves  from  the  terrible  heat.  Again  it 
would  rain  for  four  or  five  days  at  a  time,  in  which 
case  all  the  food  and  clothing  in  camp  would  be 
thoroughly  soaked.  After  this  the  sun  would  break 
through  the  clouds,  and  beating  down  upon  the  well 
soaked  ground,  evaporate  all  the  moisture  so  rapidly 
that  it  was  too  cold  on  the  inside  of  the  tents  for  the 
men  to  remain,  and  so  hot  where  the  sun  shone,  that 
one  would  be  unable  to  stand  but  a  moment  without 
suffering  sun  stroke.  The  heavy  rains  would  fill  up 
the  streams  and  springs  so  that  they  were  unfit  to 
wash  clothing  or  for  bathing  or  drinking. 

The  people  at  Guayama,  it  has  been  stated,  were 
very  friendly  to  the  soldiers  when  they  first  landed  in 
the  city.  Anything  that  was  in  possession  of  the 
people  could  be  secured  by  the  soldiers  for  the  mere 
asking.  For  every  American  dollar  a  soldier  pos 
sessed,  he  could  secure  two  Porto  Rican  dollars  or 
"pesos"  as  they  were  called.  Current  prices  on  all 
the  commodities  which  the  market  afforded  were  far 
below  those  at  home  and  the  men  felt  that  they  had 
cerfeinly  reached  a  home  for  poor  men,  but  as  the 
acquaintance  with  the  soldiers  increased,  the  people 
began  to  feel  sorry  that  they  had  been  so  liberal  and 
it  seemed  that  they  were  determined  to  "make  up" 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  211 

for  the  mistakes  they  had  made  in  the  past  and  prices 
began  to  rise.  An  American  dollar  began  to  depre 
ciate  in  the  native  markets  so  that  when  the  regi 
ment  left,  all  a  soldier  could  get  for  the  "good  old 
American  stuff"  was  one  "peso"  and  sixty  "centavos." 
Milk  advanced  in  price  and  eggs  could  not  be  bought 
for  less  than  eight  cents  each.  Merchants  doubled 
the  price  on  everything  they  offered  for  sale  and  wo 
men  who  did  laundry  work  advanced  their  rates  to 
many  times  the  original  figures. 

This  led  to  more  or  less  ill  feeling  against  the 
natives,  and  determined  to  "break  even"  with  them, 
all  sorts  of  Yankee  tricks  were  played  by  the  soldiers. 
There  was  very  little  serious  trouble  between  the  sol 
diers  and  the  natives,  but  there  were  several  small 
fights  and  the  privilege  of  the  camp  was  denied  a  cer 
tain  class  of  merchants. 

The  better  class  of  citizens,  however,  those  who 
owned  property  or  those  who  were  intelligent  enough 
to  appreciate  the  advantages  of  the  change  in  gov 
ernment,  remained  loyal  in  their  friendship  for  the 
Americans.  Banquets,  receptions  and  other  social 
functions  in  honor  of  the  officers  and  men  remained 
the  order  of  the  "society"  side  of  life  at  Guayama  as 
long  as  the  camp  was  maintained.  Even  after  the 
regiment  had  returned  to  Ohio  letters  were  received 
from  people  at  Guayama  expressing  the  friendship  of 
the  people  tLere  for  the  Fourth  Ohio. 

There  was  one  class  of  citizens  which  was  not 
benefited  by  the  change  of  government  and  which 
did  not  benefit  the  United  States  by  its  acquisition. 


212  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

This  was  the  lowest  type  of  Porto  Bican.  He  was 
black,  dirty,  lazy,  ignorant,  immoral,  naked  and  dis 
eased.  He  would  steal  the  clothing  from  a  corpse  and 
while  the  regiment  was  in  the  field  before  Guayama, 
some  of  these  fellows  robbed  the  knapsacks  of  the 
soldiers  who  were  fighting  for  their  liberty.  He 
profited  only  by  the  increase  in  the  population,  thus 
receiving  a  broader  field  in  which  to  operate  his  ne 
farious  method  of  securing  a  livelihood.  The  mili 
tary  authority  paid  little  attention  to4  this  class,  ex 
cept  to  give  them  scraps  from  the  camp  mess  and  to 
aid  the  civil  authorities  in  arresting  and  imprisoning 
them.  They  did  not  live  in  houses,  but  existed  more 
as  the  lower  animals.  There  was  little  hope  for  their 
improvement  and  as  it  was  dangerous  to  get  near  them, 
on  account  of  disease,  the  soldiers  remained  away  from 
them  as  much  as  possible. 

Aside  from  the  digging  of  sinks  and  other  fa 
tigue  duty  in  keeping  the  camp  clean,  there  was  lit 
tle  duty  to  perform  at  Guayama.  There  was  a  camp 
guard  maintained,  but  at  first  it  was  dangerous  for 
the  men  to  get  beyond  the  limit  of  the  outposts  and 
after  hostilities  had  ceased  there  was  little  temptation 
for  the  men  to  leave  camp  except  to  go  into  the  city. 
Passes  were  issued  to  a  few  each  day  and  those  who 
went  without  passes  were  liable  to  arrest  by  the  pro 
vost  guard  on  duty  in  and  about  the  city.  This  made 
camp  guard  duty  very  light  and  it  was  often  taken  off 
at  night  in  bad  weather  except  at  one  or  two  posts  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  watch  over  things  in  general. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  213 

Guard  was  mounted  in  the  morning,  one  company 
going  on  at  a  time. 

The  first  several  weeks,  provost  duty  was  per 
formed  by  the  companies  of  the  Fourth  Ohio,  the 
different  commands  taking  turns  as  in  camp  guard. 
This  duty  was  at  one  time  assigned  to  the  Fourth 
Pennsylvania,  but  after  a  few  days  was  returned  to 
the  Fourth  Ohio.  Companies  A  and  E  were  then  de 
tailed  to  perform  this  duty  and  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Adams  was  made  provost  marshal  of  the  town.  These 
companies  remained  at  this  duty  until  they  boarded 
the  Chester  to  leave  the  island  for  home. 

Porto  Rico  was  sometimes  referred  to  by  the  boys 
as  the  "land  of  vile  cigars."  Tobacco  was  grown  on 
the  island  quite  extensively  and  the  tobacco  was  a 
very  fine  grade,  but  it  was  rolled  up  into  cigars  in 
such  manner  that  they  were  unfit  either  to  smoke  or 
to  smell.  The  fault  lay  altogether  in  the  making  of 
the  cigar  and  not  in  the  quality  of  the  tobacco.  The 
redeeming  feature  of  Porto  Rican  cigars,  however, 
was  their  price;  for  any  one  who  cared  to  smoke  could 
get  a  fine  cigar,  at  first  for  part  of  a  hard  tack,  then 
for  a  whole  one  and  finally  the  price  was  raised  to  two 
hard  tacks,  the  quality  of  the  goods  decreasing  as 
rapidly  as  the  price  increased.  The  cigars  were 
brought  to  camp  in  baskets  of  bark  or  in  muslin  bags 
and  peddled  after  the  fashion  used  by  the  appleman 
in  the  cities  at  home.  There  were  other  peddlers  ad 
mitted  to  the  camp  at  first,  but  they  were  stopped  later 
on  because  of  their  method  of  doing  business. 


214  THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

By  an  order  issued  from  General  Brooke's  head 
quarters,  a  mail  route  was  established  between  Ponce 
and  Guayama.  Mail  was  received  from  Ponce  on 
Tuesday,  Thursday  and  Saturday  of  each  week  and 
mail  could  be  sent  to  Ponce  on  the  remaining  three 
days.  The  mail  wagon  made  the  trips  regularly,  but 
mail  from  home  was  only  delivered  about  every  two 
weeks.  The  quickest  time  that  was  made  from  Ohio 
towns  to  Guayama  was  ten  days.  This  was  satisfac 
tory,  but  there  were  many  instances  in  which  letters 
were  delivered  that  had  been  mailed  weeks  and  even 
months  before,  and  many  letters  were  not  delivered 
until  after  the  regiment  reached  home.  These  had 
been  mailed  long  before  the  regiment  had  received 
orders  to  leave  Guayama.  It  was  not  unusual  for  the 
mail  clerks  to  find  mail  in  the  regimental  budget  ad 
dressed  to  soldiers  in  Cuba  or  the  Philippines  and  it 
was  only  natural  to  suppose  that  mail  for  the  Fourth 
Ohio  was  often  sent  to  those  places.  There  was  no 
regular  mail  line  from  the  United  States  to  Porto 
Rico  and  mail  was  only  taken  to  the  island  by  hospi 
tal  or  quartermasters'  boats. 

At  Guayama  the  mail  was  distributed  among 
the  regiments  and  then  turned  over  to  regimental 
postmasters.  At  Camp  Thomas,  Private  Irviri,  of  M 
company,  took  care  of  Fourth  Ohio  mail,  but  he  was 
succeeded  early  in  the  Porto  Rican  campaign  by  Cor 
poral  Harmount,  of  K  company.  It  was  quite  a  while 
after  the  regiment  had  been  at  Guayama  that  mail 
reached  camp  at  all.  As  soon  as  it  was  delivered  at 
the  regimental  postoffice,  it  was  distributed  to  the 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  216 

companies  where  the  first  sergeants  took  it  for  distr? 
bution  among  the  men.  Letters  and  newspapers  wer-: 
gladly  received  as  can  easily  be  imagined,  but  whew 
they  came  they  were  from  ten  days  to  many  weeks 
old  and  even  after  the  regiment  had  reached  Colum 
bus  and  had  been  mustered  out  of  the  service,  mail 
that  had  been  addressed  to  soldiers  in  Porto  Rico,  long 
before  the  regiment  was  ordered  from  Guayama,  was 
delivered  to  those  for  whom  they  were  intended,  some 
of  them  having  made  a  tour  around  the  world. 

During  the  stay  at  Guayama,  when  news  from 
the  states  was  always  old,  rumors  circulated  in  camp 
with  more  rapidity  and  with  less  foundation  in  fact, 
but  with  more  believers  than  they  had  at  any  time 
since  the  regiment  left  the  auditorium.  A  group  of 
soldiers  would  often  arrange  a  story,  as  far  from  any 
thing  plausible  as  they  could  make  it,  then  separating 
to  different  directions,  would  promulgate  the  "news" 
to  all  whom  they  met.  Given  a  start  thus,  the  rumor 
would  circulate  to  every  part  of  the  camp  in  a  phe 
nomenally  short  time  and  cheer  after  cheer  would  go 
up  from  the  company  streets,  at  the  thought  of  going 
home  or  doing  duty  of  another  nature.  Some  times 
the  rumor  makers  would  make  the  news  of  a  discour 
aging  nature,  but  the  result  would  be  the  same  as  to 
its  general  belief  and  rapid  circulation. 

Sickness,  bad  weather,  disgusting  natives,  bad 
rations,  lack  of  funds,  slow  news  from  home,  the  fact 
that  the  war  was  over  and  no  duty  to  perform  that 
seemed  "necessary"  in  the  minds  of  the  members  of 
the  regiment,  an  inconvenient  camp,  discouraging  ef- 


216  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

feet  of  tlie  constantly  circulating  rumors,  slow  action 
on  the  part  of  the  war  department  to  make  any  head 
way  in  the  occupation  of  the  island,  a  desire  on  the 
part  of  those  men  who  had  employment  awaiting 
tLem  at  home  and  who  were  obliged  to  maintain  fami 
lies  on  the  meager  income  of  fifteen  dollars  and  sixty 
cents  per  month  and  a  desire  of  the  college  men  to  re 
turn  to  their  regular  duties  were  causes  which  com 
bined  to  create  a  general  feeling  of  dissatisfaction  in 
the  regiment.  There  was  nothing  to  do  practically 
but  exist;  and  existence  under  such  circumstances 
as  those  which  attended  life  in  the  camp  at  Guayama 
was  not  a  sweet  one  by  any  means.  Everybody 
wanted  to  go  home  and  everybody  was  free  to  express 
this  desire.  There  was  a  few  exceptions  to  this  rule 
however,  but  they  were  men  who  had  no  considerable 
employment  at  home  and  who  were  Darning  far  more 
wages  as  soldiers  than  they  had  ever  earned  before  in 
their  lives  so  they  were  desirous  of  holding  to  their 
places  as  long  as  possible.  These  members  soon 
found  themselves  held  in  severe  contempt  by  the 
other  members,  for  the  regiment  was  made  up  of  pro 
fessional  men  and  mechanics  who  were  actuated  by 
patriotism  only  in  leaving  their  homes,  their  employ 
ment  or  the  college  to  represent  their  state  on  the  field 
of  battle. 

Time  drug  heavily  and  the  men  began  to 
look  about  for  amusement  of  some  sort.  Fre 
quent  excursions  were  made  to  the  seashore  or  into 
the  mountains  and  every  opportunity  that  was  af 
forded  to  while  away  the  time  was  grasped  eagerly  by 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     L.  217 

all.  Applications  were  made  for  furloughs  and 
discharges,  but  only  a  few  were  granted.  The  lucky 
fellows  were  permitted  to  go  home  on  the  hospital 
ships  that  left  quite  frequently,  loaded  down  with  the 
sick  and  dying.  Men  who  were  in  the  hospitals  with 
little  hope  of  recovery  in  Porto  Rico  were  given  sick 
leave  and  they  too  were  permitted  to  go  home.  None 
of  these  ever  returned,  for  as  soon  as  their  leaves  ex 
pired  the  time  was  extended,  so  that  they  did  not  re 
join  the  regiment  until  it  had  reached  Columbus. 

About  the  first  of  September  there  was  a  change 
in  commanders  of  the  brigade.  General  Haines,  who 
was  a  colonel  in  the  regular  army,  was  needed  else 
where  in  the  service  and  he  was  relieved  by  General 
Fred  Grant,  son  of  the  aSilent  President."  General 
Grant  took  great  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  men 
and  his  personal  talks  and  quiet  inquiries  with  them 
soon  made  him  a  popular  officer  with  the  men  of  the 
command.  The  dissatisfaction  continued,  however, 
and  the  desire  to  go  home  was  as  apparent  as  ever. 

While  the  boys  in  Company  M  were  exchanging 
rumors  and  waiting  for  orders,  the  poetically  inclined 
"got  their  heads  together"  and  composed  a  song  which 
soon  grew  into  popularity  with  the  entire  regiment. 
It  certainly  voiced  the  sentiment  of  all  the  men.  One 
verse  and  the  chorus  is  given : 

Lying  in  the  guard  house,  awaiting  my  discharge — 

To  H— 1  with  all  the  officers,  the  provost  and  the  guard- 
When  we  get  back  to  Circleville,  as  happy  as  a  clam, 
To  tell  about  the  sow-belly  we  ate  for  Uncle  Sam. 


218  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

Chorus — 

Home  boys,  home,  its  home  you  ought  to  be! 

Home,  boys,  home,  in  your  own  country! 
Where  the  ash  and  the  oak  and  the  bonnie  willow  tree — 

Where  the  grass  grows  green — in  God's  country. 

Many  verses  were  added  to  the  song,  nearly  all 
of  which  contained  "roasts"  concerning  some  of  the 
officers  or  some  feature  of  the  life  at  Guayama,  the 
rhythm  somewhat  irregular  in  some  cases  of  course, 
but  the  sentiment  invariably  true. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  diversions  from  the 
dull  monotony  of  the  camp  was  an  entertainment  or 
ganized  and  completed  by  members  of  the  regiment. 
Chaplain  Schindel  took  an  active  part  in  the  pre 
paration  and  rendition  of  the  program  and  the  enter 
tainment  made  a  decided  "hit"  with  the  entire  regi 
ment  and  the  people  of  Guayama  who  availed  them 
selves  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing  vaudeville  as  ex 
hibited  by  Ohio  soldiers.  The  entertainment  was 
given  on  three  evenings,  each  performance  being 
given  for  the  benefit  of  the  different  battalions.  No 
admission  was  charged,  hence  the  entertainment  from 
a  financial  point  of  view  was  a  failure.  The  program 
is  given  below,  just  as  it  came  from  the  Spanish 
press,  as  to  spelling  and  punctuation: 

4TH  OHIO  INFANTRY  VAUDEVILLE  COMPANY, 

GAUYAMA  THEATRE,  PUERTO  Rico, 
September  13-15  1898 

EXECUTIVE  STAFF. 

George  B.  Donavan,  Mounted  (Prt.  Ro.  Stud  with  baskets) 
Capt.:  and  pro.  of  mule  corrall  in  Puerto  Rico. 
T.  C.  Radcliff,  the  only  man  who  can  make  Dtails. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     Y.     I.  219 

J.  L.  Sellers,  Major  and  manf.  of  cigars  warranted  no  sellers. 
M.  Lee  Wilson,  Reg.  Ajt.  a  farmer  lad  and  not  the  proprietor 

of  a  Chinese  laundry  as  his  name  would  indicate. 
J.  B.  Adams,  Lt.  Col.  of  regiment,  Guayamo  Provost  marshall 

and  Gran  Jefe  de  Pollcia. 
Col.  A.  B.  Coit,  Commanding  Staff.  &c.  &c.  &c,  &c, 

Opening  Selection  4th  Regiment  Band. 

PART  I 

THE  COLONEL'S  RECEPTION. 


Colonel-Serg.  C.  K.  Crum. 

Waiters  S.  Williams,  B.  Reynolds,  W.  Connell,  Joe  Johnson, 
Ed.  Jones,  E.  Shoemaker. 

Song,  "Two  Roses  from  Mother,, — M.  E.  Murray. 

Comique,  "Warmest  Baby  in  the  Bunch" — S.  Williams. 

Song,  "Break  the  News  to  Mother" — Steve  Henry. 

Comique,  "Guess  that  will  hold  you  for  awhile" — R.  Rey 
nolds. 

Incidental  Music,  M.  Co.  Quarterte — Henry,  Murray,  Bales 
and  Crum. 

Selection — Poet  and  Peasant,  Regimental  Band. 

PART  II. 

MR.  SAM  WILLIAMS, 
The  Curbstone  Comedian  who  wants  a  moment  with  you. 


MESSRS.  MARK  TWAY  AN  TOM  HILL, 
Ohio's  Greatest  Buck  ard  Wing  Specialists. 


MESSRS.  DAVIS  AND  LAMBERT, 


In  Feats  of  Juggling,  Light  and  Heavy  Balancing,  Wire  Act. 

MR.  JOHN  GIBBONS, 
Terpsechorean  Fantastic  Toeist. 

MR.  MARSHALL  MURRAY, 
Favorite  Tenor. 

MR.  CELESTINO  DOMINGUEZ, 
Puerto  Rican  Hymn. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


PART  III. 

H.  BALES, 
Original  Sketch  Artist. 


MR.  CHARLES  WOODMANCY, 
In  Novel  Singing  Specialty. 

PROP.  JESSE  WORTHINGTON, 
Cornet  Virtuoso  in  Aqparelle   (which   means  real  water.) 

M.    Company    quintette,    Messrs.    Henry,    Murray,    Bales, 
Mowery  and  Crum. 

FINALE 

1.  Uncle  Sam  and  the  Goddess  of  Libery  review  the  army. 

2.  Uncle  Sam  and  Puerto — Rico  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 
R.  Herod,  Dominguez,  Mercedes  Bruno. 

NOTES. 

Eggs  tendered  as  compliments  must  be  scrambled  and 
not  over  six  weeks  old. 

The  Mint  Julep  counter  to  the  right  as  you  enter  under 
personal  supervision  of  Lieut.  W.  B.  McCloud,  who  is  feel 
ing  better. 

Palm  leaf  fans  furnished  by  John  Trent  20  centavoa 

The  Colonel  offers  $5  reward  for  the  petrified  prayer  th* 
Chaplain  lost  in  the  attack  on  Guayama. 

N.  B.  Major  Baker  will  please  occupy  an  amen  pew  in 
the  synagogue  so  that  he  will  be  able  to  comprehend  the 
Program. 

"And  the  next  day  it  rained  "Genl  Order  No.  10. 

A  week  after  the  change  in  brigade  command 
ers,  there  was  a  change  in  commanding  officers  of  the 
First  battalion.  Major  Speaks,  who  had  been  with 
the  regiment  longer  than,  any  other  member,  was 
granted  a  leave  of  absence  and  on  September  8,  he 
left  the  Guayama  camp  to  go  to  his  home  in  Colum 
bus.  Captain  Vincent  of  E  company,  the  ranking 
captain  of  the  regiment,  was  assigned  to  the  battalion 
and  he  retained  command  until  the  regiment  arrived 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  221 

in  Columbus.  The  association  of  Captain  Vincent 
with  the  men  and  officers  of  the  First  battalion  was 
mutually  pleasant  and  while  there  was  no  important 
duty  to  perform  except  at  Caguas,  Captain  Vincent 
proved  to  be  a  very  competent  battalion  commander. 

At  the  same  time  Major  Speaks  left  Guayama,  a 
number  of  other  members  started  for  their  homes  in 
Ohio.  Among  these  were  Corporal  Williamson,  of 
Company  F,  Principal  Musician  Rulo  and  several 
others,  some  discharged  from  the  service,  others  on 
sick  leave  and  some  on  furlough.  These  men  took 
with  them  messages  from  nearly  every  man  and  offi 
cer  in  the  regiment. 

One  of  the  first  things  General  Grant  did  when 
he  assumed  command  was  to  clean  up  the  camp  and 
from  all  appearances  arrange  for  a  long  stay  at  Guay 
ama.  He  encouraged  dress  parades  and  as  there  was 
no  fit  place  for  parade  at  either  of  the  regimental 
camps,  the  Third  Illinois  and  the  Fourth  Ohio  alter 
nated  in  appropriating  the  Guayama  plaza  for  a  pa 
rade  ground.  In  the  meantime,  orders  had  been  re 
ceived  for  the  occupation  of  the  entire  island  accord 
ing  to  the  agreement  made  in  the  protocol  which  had 
been  signed  by  Spain.  One  evening  about  September 
15,  General  Grant  directed  that  the  companies  turn 
out  as  full  as  possible  as  he  wanted  to  view  the  actual 
strength  of  the  regiment.  He  personally  reviewed 
the  parade  which  followed  and  expressed  himself  very 
well  pleased  with  the  appearance  of  the  regiment. 

The  real  object  of  the  big  parade,  however,  was 
to  determine  which  were  the  strongest  companies. 


222  TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

D  and  M  companies  turned  out  with  the  greatest 
number  of  men  able  for  duty  and  these  two  companies 
were  at  once  selected  to  take  charge  of  provinces.  A 
few  days  later  D  company  received  orders  to  go  to 
Humocoa  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  island  and  then 
came  orders  for  M  company  under  Lieutenant  Duffy 
to  go  to  the  island  of  Vieques.  This  was  the  begin 
ning  of  the  separation  of  the  companies  and  before  the 
end  of  the  month  all  that  remained  at  the  original 
camp  at  Guayama  were  companies  B,  C,  F,  G  and  K. 
F  and  K  companies  were  soon  after  detached  and  sent 
to  other  stations  and  later  on  B  company  was  sent 
away  and  a  part  of  H  company  was  given  a  station. 
The  inconvenience  of  being  without  money,  es 
pecially  when  payment  of  hard  earned  wages  from 
such  employers  as  the  government  is  past  due,  is  an 
experiment  hardly  calculated  to  be  enjoyed  by  many; 
at  least  it  was  an  experience  not  enjoyed  by  the 
Fourth  Ohio.  One  of  the  favorite  subjects  for  rumors 
was  the  paymaster  and  he  was  reported  every  day.  One 
rumor  would  have  him  in  Guayama  with  the  informa 
tion  that  he  had  forgotten  the  money  or  that  he  had 
come  as  far  as  Arroyo  and  then  changed  his  mind  and 
had  gone  back  to  the  United  States.  Another  rumor 
impressed  upon  the  minds  of  many  that  the  regiment 
would  not  be  paid  at  all  in  Porto  Rico,  but  that  pay 
ment  would  be  deferred  until  the  regiment  reached 
New  York,  but  on  the  evening  of  September  22, 
Major  Jones,  one  of  the  volunteer  paymasters,  arrived 
in  camp  with  money  with  which  to  pay  the  regiment. 
The  news  spread  like  wildfire,  but  there  had  been  so 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  223 

many  similar  stories  exploded  that  the  rumor  at  first 
was  regarded  with  more  or  less  suspicion,  but  the  safes 
had  been  left  at  guard  headquarters  for  the  night  and 
nearly  every  man  in  the  regiment  walked  through  a 
pouring  rain  to  confirm  the  story  for  himself.  The 
good  news  had  a  remarkable  effect  on  the  men  and 
the  benefit  of  good  spirits  among  the  soldiers  could 
be  seen  before  "taps"  was  sounded  for  the  night.  For 
the  time  being,  the  question  of  going  home  was  aban 
doned  and  the  men  spent  the  night  in  their  tents, 
dreaming"  of  the  good  thing's  to  eat  which  they  had 
been  denied  on  account  of  the  lack  of  means  with 
which  to  secure  them,  but  which  they  could  now  en 
joy  to  their  hearts'  content. 

A  brigade  store  had  been  established  in  Guay- 
ama  for  the  benefit  of  the  officers  for  they  were  not 
provided  for  as  were  the  enlisted  men,  by  the  gov 
ernment.  They  had  to  purchase  all  their  subsistence 
with  private  funds  and  had  not  this  store  been  estab 
lished,  the  officers  would  have  been  compelled  to  de 
pend  entirely  upon  the  native  markets  for  their  liv 
ing.  At  this  store  there  was  offered  for  sale,  tobacco 
and  canned  goods,  dried  fruits  and  vegetables  and  in 
fact  everything  that  would  not  perish  in  transit  from 
the  United  States  to  Porto  Kico.  While  the  store  was 
intended  for  the  convenience  of  the  officers,  enlisted 
men  could  purchase  any  article  offered  for  sale  so 
that  when  the  paymaster  made  his  appearance,  every 
man  in  the  regiment  could  see  before  him  an  oppor 
tunity  for  at  least  one  "square"  meal. 


224  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  weather  was  exceptionally  bad  at  the  time 
Major  Jones  began  paying  the  men  on  September  23, 
but  the  spirits  of  the  regiment  presented  quite  a  con 
trast  to  the  condition  of  the  weather.  The  boys 
marched  through  a  heavy  rain  to  the  regimental 
headquarters  and  then  as  soon  as  they  received  their 
money,  they  hastened  to  the  brigade  store  to  pur 
chase  anything  they  could  get  that  was  fit  to  eat.  The 
result  was  that  by  the  time  the  Fourth  Ohio  was  paid, 
the  stock  of  the  brigade  store  was  almost  exhausted 
and  the  members  of  the  other  regiments  at  Guayama 
were  compelled  to  save  their  money  until  a  new 
supply  could  be  received.  After  the  men  had  pro 
vided  themselves  with  all  the  provisions  they  could 
secure,  they  visited  the  Guayama  stores  and  purchased 
everything  in  sight  that  could  be  carried  home  as 
souvenirs  of  the  place.  In  this  way  the  sums  that 
were  distributed  by  the  paymaster  soon  disappeared 
and  the  men  were  again  "financially  embarrassed," 
but  they  were  happy.  At  the  same  time  the  business 
of  Guayama  had  exprienced  such  a  revival  that  it  had 
never  seen  before  or  probably  will  ever  know. 

Major  Jones  had  hardly  finished  paying  the 
troops  when  he  received  orders  to  pay  for  the  month 
of  September  so  that  the  men  received  pay  for  three 
months  at  one  time.  The  effect  of  this  was  not  only 
that  the  men  had  plenty  of  money,  but  also  that  the 
health  of  the  regiment  was  greatly  improved  and 
from  that  time  on  the  sickness  began  to  disappear  until 
when  the  regiment  left  Guayama,  there  were  very 
few  men  in  the  hospital.  The  boys  could  purchase 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  225 

eggs,  milk  and  fresh  meat,  and  this  added  to  what 
they  could  secure  at  the  brigade  store  had  "filled  a 
long  felt  want"  with  the  result  that  was  only  natural. 
As  soon  as  the  troops  at  Guayama  were  paid,  the  de 
tachments  were  followed  up  and  the  money  due  them 
duly  delivered.  • 

If  the  visit  of  Major  Jones  produced  a  good  ef 
fect  on  the  enlisted  strength  of  the  regiment,  it  had 
a  better  effect  upon  the  commissioned  officers,  for 
they  were  suffering  really  more  than  their  men. 
Many  of  them  "messed"  with  their  companies,  but 
even  this  advantage  could  not  be  enjoyed  by  the  field 
officers  for  they  had  no  men  with  whom  they  could 
board.  The  brigade  store  did  a  credit  business  to  a 
very  limited  extent,  but  the  officers  could  secure  the 
same  bread  that  was  issued  to  the  men  by  paying  for 
it.  A  bakery  had  been  established  at  brigade  head 
quarters,  but  the  quality  of  the  product  was  such  that 
the  operation  of  the  bakery  at  home  would  not  have 
had  a  serious  effect  on  the  market.  Sergeant  George 
Zwerner,  of  D  company,  the  oldest  enlisted  man  in  the 
regiment  in  point  of  service,  acted  as  steward  for  the 
headquarters  officers'  mess  and  it  kept  him  busy  gath 
ering  up  food  for  his  wards  on  the  few  pennies  that 
could  be  raked  together  among  the  members.  When 
the  payment  was  made,  however,  Zwerner  was  a 
happy  man  as  was  also  those  who  depended  upon  his 
judgment  and  activity  for  their  daily  bread. 

After  the  health  of  the  men  began  to  improve 
there  was  less  cause  of  complaint  against  the  Guay- 
p.ma  camp,  but  the  main  cause  for  the  desire  to  go 


226  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     I. 

home  still  existed  and  rumors  were  soon  again  on 
their  way  about  the  camp.  It  was  but  a  few  days 
after  the  visit  of  Major  Jones  that  a  happy  epoch  in 
the  history  of  the  camp  was  made.  It  was  the  visit  to 
the  boys  of  Mr.  Frank  P.  Klotts,  a  Columbus  gen 
tleman,  whose  son  was  a  member  of  Company  A. 
Mr.  Klotts  had  come  to  visit  his  son,  who  had  been  a 
patient  in  the  hospital,  but  when  the  father  arrived 
at  the  camp,  he  learned  that  the  son  had  been  sent 
home  on  a  hospital  ship  and  that  the  two  had  uncon 
sciously  met  in  mid-ocean.  Mr.  Klotts  was  loaded 
down  with  letters  from  parents  to  their  boys  in  the 
field  and  the  receipt  of  these  and  the  sight  of  "a  real 
live  Buckeye"  as  one  of  the  men  expressed  it,  was  the 
source  of  much  pleasure  to  the  boys.  The  visitor  was 
received  with  open  arms  and  every  comfort  the  place 
afforded  was  bestowed  upon  Mr.  Klotts  during  his 
stay  in  the  camp.  He  remained  but  a  few  days  and 
returned,  taking  with  him  thousands  of  messages  to 
the  folks  at  home. 

After  the  visits  of  the  paymaster,  very  little  oc 
curred  to  break  the  monotony  of  camp  life  until  early 
in  October,  when  orders  finally  came  for  the  dis- 
bandment  of  the  Second  brigade.  The  Fourth  Penn 
sylvania  regiment  had  been  sent  home,  nearly  every 
man  in  the  Third  Illinois  was  either  in  the  hospital 
or  sick  in  quarters,  so  that  the  regiment  was  practic 
ally  unfit  for  duty,  and  all  the  work  in  sight  had  de 
volved  upon  the  Fourth  Ohio.  For  this  reason  it  was 
decided  to  disband  the  brigade  and  relieve  the  Fourth 
Ohio  with  fresh  troops.  Porto  Rico  was  divided  into 


THE     FOURTH     0.      K     1.  227 

two  military  districts,  the  divisions  of  the  "West  with 
headquarters  at  Ponce,  General  Henry  commanding, 
and  the  division  of  the  East  under  General  Grant, 
with  headquarters  at  San  Juan.  Accordingly  what 
remained  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  in  the  camp  at  Guayama 
was  ordered  to  San  Juan,  with  a  view  to  the  embarka 
tion  there  for  home. 


228  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


OHAPTEK  XY. 


FROM  GUAYAMA  TO  SAN  JUAN. 

Regiment  Leaves  Guayama  Camp— "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind 
Me" — Marching  Through  Rain — Road  to  Cayey — A 
Terrible  March — Arrived  at  Cayey — Further  Detach 
ments — Flag  Raising — March  to  Caguas — Duty  There — 
Flags  Raised — March  to  Rio  Piedros — Arrival  at  San 
Juan. 

The  morning  of  the  sixth  day  of  October,  1898, 
is  one  that  the  boys  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  will  never  for 
get.  It  was  then  that  it  was  definitely  decided  that 
the  camp  at  Guayama  would  forever  be  abandoned 
and  such  information,  although  for  many  weeks 
longed  for,  prayed  for  and  hoped  for,  was  a  glad  sur 
prise  to  every  man  in  the  command.  A  and  E  com 
panies,  which  were  left  behind,  did  not  fully  under 
stand  why  they,  too,  were  not  included  in  the  order, 
but  life  with  them  in  the  city  had  not  been  attended 
with  many  of  the  inconveniences  of  the  hillside  camp, 
and  they  could  easily  see  how,  if  they  were  the  only 
troops  at  Guayama,  much  of  the  unpleasantness  of 
the  place  would  be  avoided. 

It  was  arranged  that  the  regiment  would  leave 
Guayama  early  Thursday  morning,  but  General 
Grant  showed  his  confidence  in  the  officers  of  the 
regiment  and  the  ability  of  their  men  by  saying  to 
Colonel  Goit:  "Colonel,  you  will  proceed  as  far  as 
Cayey  Thursday,  raise  the  flag  there,  and  leaving 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1.  229 

Captain  Potter's  company  in  possession  of  the  town, 
you  will  make  headquarters  at  Caguas  until  further 
orders.  I  leave  all  to  your  judgment." 

Thursday  morning  was  dark  and  dreary — just 
the  kind  of  weather  to  drive  the  men  into  their  quar 
ters,  there  to  exchange  condolence  and  cigars  and  sing 
the  songs  of  home.  The  distance  from  Guayama  to 
Cayey  is  seventeen  miles  and  the  colonel  realized  that 
the  start  must  be  made  as  early  as  possible  to  make 
the  trip.  Dinner  was  ordered  at  10:30,  and  all  day 
long  the  men  packed  their  belongings.  As  soon  as 
dinner  was  over,  wagons  were  driven  through  the 
camp  for  all  subsistence,  personal  baggage  and  com 
pany  chests  and  desks.  Unfortunately  some  of  the 
men  neglected  that  most  important  of  a  soldier's  duty, 
the  filling  of  haversacks.  This  was  the  source  of 
much  annoyance  later  on. 

At  2  o'clock  all  was  ready  and  the  start  was 
made.  It  so  happened  that  the  boys  got  off  "between 
showers,"  but  they  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the 
first  shower  came  up.  The  "first"  might  be  said  to 
be  the  only  one,  because  it  rained  almost  constantly 
during  the  entire  march  of  seventeen  miles.  After 
the  regiment  was  formed  the  column  moved  in  fours 
to  the  music  of  "The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me."  Then 
the  band  struck  up  "Dixie"  and  "Marching  Through 
Georgia."  Everybody  was  happy.  Even  if  it  had 
been  raining,  snowing  or  anything,  it  would  have  been 
good  enough  for  "The  Day  We  Leave  Guayama." 

The  rain  began  soon  after  the  start  was  made. 
All  the  men  had  to  carry  was  their  canteens,  haver- 


230  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 

sacks  and  rifles,  so  they  could  easily  use  their  pon 
chos.  These  are  good  things  in  light  showers,  but 
when  they  were  put  into  service  in  water  spouts  and 
cloud  bursts,  they  proved  about  as  serviceable  as  pieces 
of  mosquito  bar  the  same  size.  Long  before  dark 
every  officer  and  man  in  the  regiment  was  as  wet  as 
he  could  be. 

The  road  from  Guayama  to  Cayey  has  been  de 
scribed  in  another  chapter.  It  is  a  dangerous  one  to 
travel  in  daytime  and  much  more  so  at  night.  At 
one  side,  the  bluffs  towered  high  above  the  heads  of 
the  traveler  and  on  the  other  the  descent  was  as  steep 
as  a  stone  wall.  A  misstep  at  any  time  might  have 
meant  a  severe  collision  with  the  sharp  stones  in  the 
grade  at  one  side  or  a  fall  into  the  darkness  and  gloom 
thousands  of  feet  below  at  the  other.  To  these  con 
ditions  add  darkness  so  dense  that  one  could  abso 
lutely  see  nothing  twelve  inches  in  front  of  him,  and 
one  may  form  an  idea  of  the  march  to  Cayey. 

One  of  the  interesting  features  of  the  march  was 
passing  along  the  point  where  A  and  C  companies 
met  with  the  disaster  on  August  8,  and  the  sight  of 
the  intrenchments  and  fortifications  which  would  have 
had  to  have  been  carried,  had  a  forced  movement 
toward  San  Juan  been  ordered  before  August  13.  At 
one  point  the  Spanish  garrison  could  have  marched 
out  to  the  roadway,  killed  off  a  regiment  in  one  vol 
ley,  and  returned  to  their  quarters  before  the  next 
regiment  would  have  had  time  to  come  up.  When 
the  boys  saw  what  they  might  have  had  to  encounter, 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  231 

most  of  them  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  to  realize  that 
the  war  was  actually  over. 

With  the  darkness  came  an  experience  which 
in  every  particular  beggars  description.  Wet  to  the 
skin,  supperless,  tired  and  weary,  the  men  plodded 
along,  all  the  way  up  hill,  through  narrow  passes, 
where  the  men  actually  had  to  feel  their  way;  where 
had  a  step  to  the  side  been  made,  the  unfortunate 
would  have  been  dashed  to  the  rocks  a  thousand  feet 
below;  where,  had  a  horse  become  frightened  or 
jumped  to  one  side,  it  would  have  meant  certain 
death  to  himself  and  rider;  where,  had  a  Spanish  sym 
pathizer  chosen  to  have  done  so,  he  could  have  blown 
out  a  culvert,  and  dozens  of  lives  would  have  gone 
out  in  an  instant;  where  if  one  man  fell,  a  whole 
company  would  have  stumbled  over  his  prostrate 
form. 

Men  who  had  been  over  the  road  in  the  daytime 
were  sent  ahead  as  guides.  The  regimental  staff 
followed,  most  of  the  officers  leading  their  horses. 
The  guides  were  of  little  use,  however,  as  all  they 
could  do  was  to  shout  back  that  the  road  was  clear. 
They  could  announce  a  new  turn  to  the  right  or  left 
every  few  yards,  but  no  one  could  see  it,  and  the 
warning  simply  made  them  more  careful  in  feeling 
for  the  road. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  an  All  Wise 
Providence,  the  regiment  could  not  possibly  have 
covered  the  distance.  Even  as  it  was  the  wagon  train 
had  to  halt  and  wait  for  daylight.  Every  few  min 
utes  the  lightning  would  flash  across  the  road,  thus 


232  THE     FOURTH     0.      V.     I. 

showing  the  way  for  a  few  feet.  Often  the  regiment 
had  to  halt  and  wait  for  a  flash  of  lightning  to  show 
culverts  where  the  water  could  be  heard  roaring 
down  over  the  precipices.  A  peculiar  circumstance 
which  seemed  to  be  a  manifestation  of  the  presence 
of  Providence  was  the  settling  of  a  large  "lightning 
bug"  on  the  hip  of  the  chaplain's  horse.  Company 
B  followed  immediately  after  the  chaplain  and  those 
in  front  could  see  which  way  to  go,  guided  by  this 
animal  "pillar  of  fire." 

It  was  shortly  after  nine  o'clock  when  the  regi 
ment  reached  Cayey.  The  wagon  train  with  all  sub 
sistence  was  back  in  the  hills  and  no  food  in  the  haver 
sacks.  Company  commanders  hustled  around,  how 
ever,  and  secured  some  bread  and  the  men  were  put 
to  "bed"  on  a  cold  cement  floor  with  bread  and  water 
for  support  and  their  clothing  thoroughly  soaked. 
Friday  morning  quinine  was  issued  freely  and  as  soon 
as  the  wagons  arrived  the  men  were  given  a  good 
breakfast  and  some  of  them  were  able  to  secure  dry 
clothes.  By  noon  everybody  was  comfortably  fixed, 
but  no  duty  was  assigned  except  to  Company  F  and 
the  First  provisional  battalion. 

Although  Cayey  had  been  occupied  several  days 
by  American  troops,  the  Stars  and  Stripes  had  not 
been  officially  raised  in  the  town.  As  Company  F 
had  been  ordered  to  take  possession  of  Cayey,  that 
company  was  accorded  the  honor  of  raising  the  flag. 
The  entire  First  Provisional  battalion,  organized  at 
Gruayama  by  direction  of  Colonel  Coit,  and  consisting 
>of  companies  B,  C,  G  and  H,  turned  out  under  Cap- 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  233 

tain  Vincent.  Preceded  by  the  regimental  band  the 
battalion  escorted  F  company  to  the  city  hall. 

Lieutenant  McCoy  and  Sergeant  Freeman  raiaed 
the  flag,  F  company  fired  the  salute  and  the  band 
played  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner."  When  the  citi 
zens  saw  the  beautiful  tri-colored  banner  floating  over 
them,  and  realized  what  it  meant,  they  went  wild 
with  excitement.  After  a  short  serenade  by  the  band, 
the  battalion  marched  around  the  plaza  and  public 
square,  thence  back  to  the  quarters  near  the  town. 
The  Spanish  flag,  which  had  waved  from  the  public 
hall  of  Oayey,  became  the  property  of  Captain  Yin- 
cent.  The  exercises  of  the  afternoon  were  thoroughly 
enjoyed,  and  the  men  felt  that  they  were  amply  re 
warded  already  for  their  long  weary  march  across  the 
hills. 

At  Cayey  K  company  left  the  regiment  to  go  to 
Aibonito  to  take  possession  of  that  and  the  towns  in 
the  district  so  that  all  that  remained  of  the  "regiment" 
was  the  First  Provisional  battalion.  The  start  to 
Caguas  was  not  made  until  Saturday  morning  and 
the  time  spent  at  Cayey  as  the  guests  of  F  company 
was  for  the  purpose  of  rest.  An  amusing  experience 
during  this  brief  stay  was  a  serenade  by  the  native 
band.  The  members  were  not  in  uniform,  either  as 
to  dress,  time,  harmony,  pitch  or  chord.  The  in 
struments  were  somewhat  similar  to  those  used  in 
American  bands  except  the  drum  or  "guichara" 
which  was  a  long  ghord  shaped  species  of  calabash, 
which  had  been  plucked  while  green  and  in  the  sur 
face  of  which  had  been  cut  a  number  of  small  circu- 


234  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

lar  grooves  which  had  become  almost  as  hard  as  flint 
when  the  instrument  had  ripened  in  the  sun.  It  was 
"played"  by  rubbing  a  hard  stick  across  the  grooves, 
thus  making  a  most  unearthly  noise,  but  which 
served  as  a  very  good  chronometer  for  the  other  per 
formers.  After  the  band  had  "rendered"  several  se 
lections,  Colonel  Coit  addressed  the  crowd,  which  had 
assembled,  expressing  for  himself  and  staff,  an  ap 
preciation  of  the  serenade  and  the  royal  welcome 
which  the  citizens  of  Cayey  had  given  the  American 
troops.  The  crowd  answered  with  cheer  after  cheer 
for  the  "soldados  Americanos." 

An  early  start  was  made  Saturday  morning  and 
before  noon  the  regiment  was  well  on  its  way  to 
Caguas.  The  rains  had  ceased  and  the  sun  shone 
brightly,  but  not  nearly  so  hot  as  on  the  day  of  the 
last  long  march  on  August  13th.  The  distance  was 
about  the  same  and  the  road  led  first  to  the  top  of  the 
northern  mountain  chain  and  then  down  again  into 
the  fertile  valley  below,  where  the  town  of  Caguas 
was  situated.  It  was  two  o'clock  when  the  regiment 
halted  outside  the  city  limits  and  preparations  were 
made  for  the  entrance  into  the  city.  At  the  time 
of  the  march  from  Guayama  to  Cayey,  many  of  the 
boys  would  drop  from  the  ranks  and  then  wait  for 
the  baggage  train  to  ride.  This  was  avoided  on  the 
march  to  Caguas  by  sending  the  baggage  train  ahead 
of  the  regiment.  Even  this  arrangement  did  not  pre 
vent  all  the  boys  from  saving  their  legs,  for  they 
walked  ahead  of  the  regiment  on  some  pretext  or 
other  and  caught  up  with  the  train  when  they  would 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  235 

climb  on  the  wagons  in  spite  of  the  protests  of  the 
drivers  and  ride  over  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
march.  The  wagon  train  had  not  been  at  Caguas 
more  than  an  hour  when  the  main  column  appeared. 

The  regiment  halted  long  enough  for  the  few 
stragglers  to  come  up  and  for  those  who  had  gone 
ahead  to  be  brought  back  and  then  with  colors  flying, 
a  triumphant  entry  to  the  city  was  made.  A  hearty 
welcome  was  extended  to  the  regiment  by  the  citi 
zens  and  the  town  was  dressed  in  holiday  attire. 
From  nearly  every  building  the  American  flag 
proudly  waved  and  the  people  nearly  shouted  them 
selves  hoarse  at  the  sight  of  the  troops.  Captain 
French  had  occupied  the  town  for  several  days  with 
L  company  and  the  American  flag  had  not  only  been 
raised  over  the  public  building,  but  it  had  been  placed 
on  every  business  house  and  private  residence  in  the 
town.  These  flags  were  supplied  by  the  citizens 
themselves. 

The  occupation  of  Caguas  was  not  attended 
with  the  discomforts  of  Guayama.  The  citizens  were 
found  to  be  far  more  intelligent  and  the  business  men 
far  more  reliable  than  those  at  Guayama  and  these 
conditions,  together  with  comfortable  quarters  in  bar 
racks  for  the  men,  made  the  stay  at  Caguas  very 
pleasant.  Then  again  there  were  not  so  many  sol 
diers  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  and  generosity  of  the 
people  and  this  state  of  affairs  increased  the  comfort 
of  the  men. 

Soon  after  the  regimental  headquarters  had  been 
established  at  Caguas,  four  nurses  arrived  in  Porto 


236  THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

Eico  to  take  care  of  the  sick  of  the  Fourth  Ohio. 
The  members  had  written  home  from  the  camp  at 
Guayama  while  everything  was  at  its  worst  and  the 
people  of  central  Ohio  had  become  thoroughly 
alarmed  for  the  safety  of  their  sons  and  friends  in  the 
island.  The  noble  women  who  offered  their  services 
for  the  men  of  the  Fourth  were  Sisters  Mary  Bren- 
dam  and  Mary  Edberga,  Miss  Dr.  Emma  O.  Jones 
and  Mrs.  Taylor.  These  ladies  were  eminently  qual 
ified  to  take  care  of  the  sick  soldiers,  but  they  did  not 
arrive  until  September  28,  and  this  was  after  the 
men  had  been  paid  and  many  of  the  sick  had  been 
sent  home.  There  was  still  a  number  in  the  hospital, 
however,  and  the  work  of  these  good  women  was 
greatly  appreciated  by  the  physicians  and  by  every 
officer  and  man  in  the  regiment.  They  remained 
with  the  regiment  until  it  reached  Columbus,  when 
they  were  extended  the  same  welcome  that  was  made 
for  the  men.  They  were  made  honorary  members  of 
the  regiment  and  they  were  appointed  lieutenants 
with  spcial  commissions  by  Colonel  Coit. 

On  October  12  Company  C  was  sent  out  to  the 
town  of  Aguas  Buenos  to  assume  charge  of  the  town 
for  the  day  and  to  convert  it  into  an  American  sta 
tion  by  raising  the  flag  of  the  United  States.  Cap 
tain  Reynolds  took  a  detachment  of  his  company  and 
accompanied  by  Major  Baker  several  headquarters 
attaches  and  the  band,  the  detachment  rode  across 
the  country  in  wagons.  The  road  was  not  a  rough 
one,  but  it  extended  through  one  of  the  most  pictur 
esque  sections  of  the  island.  Aguas  Buenos  was  in 


THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     1.  237 

the  center  of  a  rich  coffee  growing  section  and  the 
people  were  found  to  be  well  to  do  and  very  intelli 
gent  The  soldiers  were  welcomed  to  the  village  and 
the  flag  was  raised  over  their  homes  with  great  re 
joicing.  As  a  part  of  the  flag  raising  ceremony  Major 
Baker  made  a  brief  address  to  the  assembled  populace, 
telling  them  to  be  good  and  that  things  would  come 
out  "all  right." 

The  Spanish  flag,  which  had  been  on  the  al- 
calda's  office,  became  the  property  of  Captain  Rey 
nolds.  Major  Baker  was  presented  with  a  memorial 
thanking  the  American  troops  for  the  benefit  they 
had  been  to  the  people  of  Porto  Rico  and  pledging 
their  allegiance  to  the  United  States.  After  the  cere 
mony  of  raising  the  flag,  the  alcalda  received  the 
American  officers  at  his  home  with  all  the  prominent 
citizens  of  the  province  as  guests.  An  elaborate 
breakfast  was  served  and  after  making  several  calls 
upon  other  of  the  officials,  the  detachment  returned 
to  Caguas.  On  the  following  day  B  company  was 
sent  to  the  town  of  Gurabo  and  the  American  flag- 
was  raised  there  also.  Here  the  soldiers  were  given  a 
most  hearty  welcome  and  they  were  entertained  with 
the  best  the  town  afforded  during  their  brief  stay.  A 
detachment  from  H  company  was  afterwards  sent  to 
Aguas  Buenos, but  no  troops  were  assigned  to  Gurabo. 

Two  days  after  B  company  returned  from 
Gurabo,  Captain  White  received  orders  to  proceed  to 
Rio  Piedras  and  take  possession  of  the  entire  district 
Rio  Piedras  was  on  a  short  railway  seven  miles  from 
the  capital  and  the  third  largest  town  on  the  island. 


238  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  service  of  the  company  at  this  station  is  de 
scribed  in  another  chapter. 

Guard  duty  at  Caguas  was  performed  by  the 
different  companies  which  remained,  C,  G  and  H. 
Guard  was  mounted  each  morning  and  the  regular 
camp  routine,  even  to  evening  parade,  was  main 
tained  as  though  the  entire  regiment  was  stationed  in 
the  city. 

One  of  the  most  pleasant  features  of  the  stay  at 
Caguas  was  the  supply  of  ice  which  was  received 
daily  from  San  Juan.  This  was  a  luxury  which  the 
boys  had  not  enjoyed  since  they  left  Newport  News 
and  the  rapidity  with  which  ice  cream  and  lemonade 
disappeared  would  have  made  the  keeper  of  a  circus 
refreshment  stand  grow  sick  at  heart.  A  concert  was 
given  by  the  band  in  the  plaza  each  evening  and  the 
people  enjoyed  the  music  very  much.  There  was  a 
number  of  fine  musicians  at  Caguas  and  these  with 
some  of  the  members  of  the  band  arranged  an  enter 
tainment  which  proved  quite  a  success.  At  first  the 
soldiers  were  not  restricted  as  to  their  mingling  with 
the  natives,  but  this  privilege  was  abused  by  a  few 
careless  men  so  that  by  special  order,  at  the  sound 
ing  of  "taps"  every  man  in  the  command  except 
those  on  guard  was  expected  to  be  in  quarters. 

Frequent  excursions  were  made  to  San  Juan  the 
capital,  and  on  the  occasion  of  the  formal  possession 
of  the  city  by  the  Americans  on  October  18,  C'olonel 
Coit  and  his  staff' and  a  large  number  of  the  men  and 
officers  of  the  regiment  went  to  the  city  to  witness 
the  flag  raising  ceremonies. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  239 

Finally ,  on  the  28th,  the  command  having  been 
relieved  by  a  detachment  of  the  First  Kentucky,  the 
regiment  marched  from  Caguas  to  Rio  Piedras.  F 
and  K  companies  had  also  been  relieved  and  had 
joined  the  regiment.  The  march  from  Caguas, 
seventeen  miles,  was  made  in  five  hours,  remarkably 
good  time  for  that  climate  and  the  kind  of  day,  for  the 
sun  shone  almost  as  hot  as  it  had  on  August  13,  dur 
ing  the  forenoon,  and  then  in  the  afternoon  a  terrific 
rainstorm  came  up.  F  company  had  not  started  with 
the  main  column  and  these  men  were  nearly  drowned 
when  they  reached  Rio  Piedras. 

The  command  took  dinner  and  a  good  rest  at 
Rio  Piedras  and  at  four  o'clock  all  the  companies  ex 
cept  B  boarded  a  train  and  proceeded  to  San  Juan. 
B  company  marching  across  the  valley  to  the  capital, 
earned  the  record  of  being  the  only  company  which 
had  marched  across  the  island  from  the  Carribean 
sea  to  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Two  other  companies, 
however,  K  and  L,  had  marched  a  greater  number  of 
miles. 


240  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 


CHAPTEE  XVI. 


THE  HOSPITAL  CORPS. 

The  Corps  in  the  Fourteenth — Its  Organization  and  Effi 
ciency — Its  Effect  on  Enlistment — Refused  Admittance 
as  a  Body  Into  the  U.  S.  Service— Members  Enlist  in 
Companies — Details  at  Camp  Thomas — Reserve  Ambu 
lance  Corps — Detachments  From  the  Regiment — Orders 
for  Porto  Rico — Reunited  on  Massachusetts — Again 
Separated  in  Porto  Rico — Sent  to  San  Juan — Home 
With  the  Regiment — Stragglers  Arrive. 

When  the  Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Infantry  of 
the  Ohio  I\  ati<  nal  Guards  assembled  for  the  purpose 
of  entering  the  volunteer  service  of  the  United  States, 
that  organization  contained  one  of  the  best  auxiliaries 
for  hospital  service  within  the  United  States.  It 
consisted  under  the  state  regulations  of  one  major 
surgeon,  three  assistant  surgeons,  one  hospital  steward, 
two  acting  hospital  stewards  and  twenty  four  privates. 

The  surgeons  were  men  who  had  been  chosen 
for  their  fitness  in  duties  which  were  liable  at  any 
time  to  occur  in  street  riots  and  other  emergency 
cases  where  the  state  militia  was  apt  to  be  engaged. 
The  stewards  and  acting  stewards  were  men  who  had 
been  trained  by  education  and  experience  to  perform 
just  such  duties  as  would  be  likely  to  devolv.e  upon 
them  in  times  where  judgment,  alacrity  and  precision 
were  elements  absolutely  essential  in  their  qualifica 
tions  as  such  officers.  The  privates  were  all  young 
men  who  had  taken  and  nourished  an  interest  in  the 


FROM    PONCE    TO    ARROYO. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  241 

care  of  the  sick  and  they  had  by  study,  application  and 
drill  acquired  such  an  ability  in  the  matters  pertain 
ing  to  active  field  hospital  work  that  they  were  ad- 
mitedly  among  the  best  men  Ohio  or  any  other  state 
could  have  furnished  a  military  organization. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  rapid  enlistment  to  the 
maximum  strength  allowed  by  the  government  in  so 
short  a  time  was  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  well  known 
that  the  Fourteenth  was  better  able  to  take  care  of 
her  sick  than  any  other  regiment  in  the  state  service. 
The  hospital  corps  was  the  pride  of  the  regiment  and 
of  that  section  of  the  state  which  boasted  the  Four 
teenth  Infantry.  Everybody  fully  expected  that  the 
hospital  corps  as  it  was  organized  would  be  a  part-  of 
the  new  regiment  of  volunteers  that  was  being  or 
ganized,  and  great  was  the  surprise  and  the  disap 
pointment  of  not  only  the  men  and  officers  of  the 
regiment,  but  the  corps  itself  when  it  was  learned  that 
the  order  for  the  new  organization  would  not  permit 
the  muster  of  the  corps.  A  great  effort  was  made 
by  the  hospital  boys,  the  members  of  the  regiment 
and  the  citizens  of  the  state  to  prevail  upon  the  gov 
ernment  authorities  to  arrange  for  the  preservation 
of  the  corps,  but  the  effort  was  in  vain. 

When  the  time  came  for  muster  into  the  United 
States  service,  the  hospital  corps,  as  was  the  case  with 
the  signal  corps,  ceased  to  exist,  at  least  so  far  as  the 
Fourteenth  Regiment  could  be  concerned.  The  sur 
geon  and  two  assistant  surgeons  retained  the  rank 
which  they  had  held  in  the  old  regiment.  The  two 
acting  stewards  were  made  stewards,  but  that  was  all 


242  TEE    FOURTH     0.     7.     7. 

of  the  former  corps  as  such,  that  was  accepted  by  the 
United  States  mustering  officer. 

The  enthusiasm  in  military  matters,  the  loyalty 
to  the  regiment  and  the  patriotism  that  the  men  of 
the  hospital  corps  possessed  is  shown  by  the  fact  that 
as  soon  as  it  was  learned  that  they  could  not  enter 
the  volunteer  service  with  the  regiment  as  an  auxil 
iary  organization  they  were  at  once  divided  among  the 
companies  and  enlisted  as  privates  of  infantry.  They 
served  as  such  until  the  regiment  reached  Camp 
Thomas,  when  they  were  detailed  by  a  regimental 
order  to  their  regimental  hospital.  They  continued, 
however,  to  draw  rations,  clothing  and  pay  from  the 
companies  in  which  they  were  enlisted,  until  by  di 
rection  of  the  war  department  at  Washington  they 
were  made  regular  members  of  the  hospital  corps, 
and  assigned  to  duty  wherever,  in  the  judgment  of 
authority  higher  than  the  head  of  the  regiment,  they 
were  most  needed. 

The  first  several  weeks  at  Camp  Thomas  was 
attended  with  more  or  less  sickness  in  the  regiment 
on  account  of  the  change  of  water,  diet  and  climatic 
conditions  and  the  advantages  of  a  regimental  hos 
pital  corps  were  apparent  to  all,  but  this  fact  only 
made  the  boys  of  the  regiment  feel  the  more  keenly 
the  loss  of  the  old  militia  hospital  service.  Under  the 
circumstances,  the  work  performed  by  the  medical 
department,  officers  and  men.,  was  as  able  as  could 
have  been  expected  and  the  fact  that  the  regiments 
on  either  side  of  the  camp  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  suf 
fered  heavily  from  death,  while  the  Fourth  Ohio  did 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  243 

not  lose  a  single  man,  speaks  volumes  in  praise  of 
the  discipline  of  the  regiment  and  the  ability  and 
energy  of  those  officers  upon  whose  shoulders  rested 
the  responsibility  of  taking  care  of  the  health  of  the 
boys  from  central  Ohio. 

Major  Surgeon  Semeans  remained  with  the  regi 
ment  more  than  either  of  the  other  two  physicians. 
He  was  detached  for  a  time  at  Camp  Thomas,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Division  hospital  and  he  was  also  absent 
a  few  weeks  from  the  Guayama  camp  on  account  of 
his  health.  He  worked  night  and  day,  was  as  untir 
ing  in  his  effort  to  serve  the  members  of  the  regiment 
as  a  human  being  could  be,  and  while  he  and  his 
department  were  handicapped  in  peculiar  ways  at 
times,  there  was  never  a  time  when  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  could  not  obtain  any  medical  or  surgical 
aid  that  he  required,  without  going  outside  the  lines 
of  his  own  regiment.  Even  when  it  did  become  nec 
essary  to  send  a  sick  soldier  from  the  regimental  hos 
pital  to  places  where  more  elaborate  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  his  treatment,  Captain  Harry  M. 
Taylor,  one  of  the  assistant  surgeons  of  the  regiment, 
was  oftenest  the  man  to  look  after  his  welfare.  Dr. 
Wright,  the  other  assistant  surgeon,  was  also  de 
tached,  having  served  from  early  in  June  until  in 
July  at  the  Division  hospital  at  Camp  Thomas.  From 
the  time  he  rejoined  the  regiment  he  was  on  duty 
with  the  Fourth  Ohio  until  Company  M  was  assigned 
by  Colonel  Coit  to  assume  charge  of  affairs  at  Vieques 
when  the  doctor  was  designated  to  accompany  this 
company  as  its  medical  officer.  He  did  not  return  to 


244  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  regiment  until  the  entire  command  was  reunited 
at  San  Juan. 

The  only  members  of  the  medical  department 
who  were  not  at  any  time  detached  from  the  regiment 
were  Steward  John  Richards  and  Private  Hance. 
There  was  not  a  man  in  the  Fourth  Ohio  at  the  time 
of  muster  out  who  did  not  consider  himself  a  personal 
friend  "of  long  standing"  with  either  Stewards  Rich 
ards  or  Ritter.  The  latter  was  detached  from  the  regi 
mental  hospital  for  a  short  time  only  at  Camp  Thomas 
and  for  a  few  weeks  with  F  Company  while  that 
command  occupied  Cayey. 

The  first  medical  officer  to  be  permanently  de 
tached  from  the  regiment  was  Captain  Taylor.  On 
June  8th  the  doctor  was  ordered  to  report  to  Major 
James  Johnson,  of  the  Sixteenth  Pennsylvania  regi 
ment,  to  assist  in  forming  an  ambulance  service  for 
the  First  Army  corps.  The  doctor  left  at  once  and 
the  result  of  the  consultation  of  these  two  and  other 
surgeons  was  the  formation  of  the  "reserve  ambu 
lance  corps."  This  was  made  up  of  men  detached 
from  all  the  various  regiments  stationed  at  the  park. 
Application  was  first  made  for  these  detachments  by 
the  officers  of  the  Reserve  corps  and  as  soon  as  the 
men  reported  to  the  chief  surgeon  they  were  as 
signed  first  to  ambulance  companies  and  then  to  am 
bulance  corps  as  the  exigencies  of  the  service  required. 
Most  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  boys  remained  under  the 
direct  command  of  Dr.  Taylor.  They  were  together 
throughout  all  the  Porto  Rican  campaign  until  in  Oc 
tober,  when  the  corps  was  disbanded  at  Guayama. 
Two  of  these  men,  Curry  James  and  Stephen  Darby, 


TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  245  - 

were  promoted  to  the  rank  of  acting  hospital  steward 
while  in  this  service. 

Those  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  who  were  not  as 
signed  to  this  work  were  Privates  Judkins,  Pringle, 
Wright,  Moon  and  Davis.  These  were  assigned  to 
the  First  Division  hospital  while  the  regiment  was  at 
Camp  Thomas.  The  latter  was  discharged  from  the 
service  before  the  close  of  the  war,  but  the  remaining 
four  did  not  return  to  their  command  until  in  Janu 
ary,  1899,  after  the  regiment  had  returned  to  Colum 
bus  in  November,  1898.  Privates  Judkins  and 
Pringle  had  been  assigned  to  the  Third  Brigade  hos 
pital,  and  Moon  and  Wright  to  the  Reserve  Hospital 
company. 

Up  to  July  20,  Captain  Taylor  filled  at  the  Re 
serve  Ambulance  corps  at  Camp  Thomas,  the  offices 
of  Quartermaster,  Commissary,  Ordnance  Officer  and 
Medical  Purveyor.  At  the  date  mentioned  he  was  re 
lieved  of  all  these  duties,  but  was  continued  in  the 
service  of  the  corps,  and  on  August  20  he  was  made 
acting  brigade  surgeon  of  the  Second  brigade,  First 
division,  First  corps.  On  September  1st,  1898,  at  the 
time  of  the  retirement  of  Major  Frank  Boyd,  of  the 
Third  Kentucky,  Dr.  Taylor  became  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  Reserve  Ambulance  company  near 
Guayama,  which  command  he  retained  until  this 
hospital  was  ordered  disbanded  and  the  Fourth  Ohio 
started  for  San  Juan  on  October  6. 

On  July  20  the  ambulance  corps  was  ordered 
to  move  from  Camp  Thomas  to  "New  Port  News,  Vir 
ginia,  preparatory  to  embarking  to  Porto  Rico.  The 


246  THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     I. 

transport  Massachusetts  was  provided  and  besides  the 
regular  hospital  outfit,  there  was  loaded  on  the  Massa 
chusetts,  eleven  hundred  horses  and  mules,  and  two 
million  rations  for  General  Brooke's  army. 

The  Massachusetts  sailed  on  July  26th  and  ar 
rived  outside  the  harbor  at  Ponce  on  Tuesday,  Aug 
ust  2.  Here  the  Massachusetts  struck  a  coral  reef 
and  she  was  unable  to  move.  The  horses  were  all  un 
loaded  and  taken  to  shore  in  lighters  and  this  without 
the  loss  of  an  animal. 

The  Massachusetts  was  relieved  of  all  its  cargo 
and  passengers  by  the  evening  of  August  7th.  As 
soon  as  the  landing  was  made,  the  hospital  outfit  and 
the  escort  went  into  camp  on  the  outskirts  of  Ponce. 
The  next  morning,  Monday,  August  8,  the  start  was 
made  for  Arroyo  where  the  entire  Second  brigade 
was  supposed  to  be,  but  which  in  reality  was  at  Guay- 
ama,  ready  for  an  attack  at  any  moment.  The  march 
from  Ponce  was  in  command  of  Captain  Williamson, 
a  regular  army  officer  and  a  member  of  General 
Brooke's  staff.  Lieutenant  Fred  Whiley,  of  I  com 
pany,  Fourth  Ohio,  was  with  the  party,  his  duties  be 
ing  to  look  after  the  stock  in  general  and  to  take  care 
of  Fourth  Ohio  property  in  particular.  There  was  an 
escort  of  two  troops  of  cavalry,  one  a  Philadelphia 
troop  and  the  other  Troop  H,  of  the  Sixth  regulars. 
There  were  two  signal  corps  companies  in  the  com 
mand,  but  they  were  only  partly  armed.  What  arms 
they  did  possess  consisted  of  a  variety  of  revolvers 
and  rifles  so  badly  mixed  as  to  pattern  and  calibre 
that  no  such  thin<r  as  uniformitv  existed. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  247 

1  i 

Besides  the  quartermaster's  stores  that  had  to  be 
conveyed  in  wagons,  there  was  the  entire  mule  coral 
and  the  horses  to  be  taken.  The  order  of  march  was 
in  column  of  fours  and  a  jolly  time  was  seen  before 
the  column  was  ready  to  move. 

The  general  plan  for  handling  the  mules  was  for 
one  man  to  ride  a  mule  and  lead  three.  It  would 
probably  have  been  easier  for  the  rider  if  the  rule  had 
been  reversed  and  there  had  been  three  men  for  each 
mule.  They  twisted  together,  kicked,  ran,  broke 
their  halters  and  in  fact  performed  all  the  antics 
known  only  to  the  typical  government  mule  and  be 
fore  the  column  was  ready  to  start,  Dr.  Taylor  had 
sent  three  men  to  the  hospital  with  a  brilliant  pros 
pect  of  sending  the  rest  of  the  command  to  bed  before 
the  column  had  moved  a  mile. 

Finally,  when  all  was  supposed  to  be  ready,  the 
command  "Forward  March"  was  given  and  the  col 
umn  proceeded  to  "march,"  some  of  it  forward,  an 
other  part  backward,  to  either  side,  and  indeed  some 
of  it  straight  up  into  the  air.  That  "start"  was  an  ex 
perience  entirely  new  to  the  members  of  the  Fourth 
Ohio  medical  department,  but  it  was  one  they  never 
forgot. 

As  soon  as  the  mules  and  the  riders  became  ac 
quainted  and  learned  how  to  "take"  each  other,  better 
progress  was  made,  but  before  the  command  reached 
Arroyo,  seventeen  army  mules  had  gone  to  their  re 
ward  and  had  to  be  accounted  for  by  responsible  offi 
cers  after  the  march  was  ended  and  the  war  was  over. 
It  has  been  said  by  those  who  have  had  experience 


248  THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

with  army  mules  that  these  animals  are  a  source  of 
vexation  from  the  time  they  make  their  appearance 
on  earth  until  long  after  they  are  dead. 

The  second  night  out  in  the  march,  the  boys  met 
with  another  experience  which  they  never  forgot. 
The  line  of  march  extended  along  the  road  known  as 
the  "coast  road."  This  road  was  in  many  places  a 
mere  trail  and  the  mud  in  the  lower  districts  was  al 
most  bottomless.  Progress  was  naturally  slow,  but  in 
addition  to  this  mud  there  were  streams  to  ford,  caus 
ing  increased  delay  and  greater  danger  to  life  and 
property,  and  the  entire  country  was  infested  with 
Spanish  guerrillas.  This  was  the  first  expedition  to 
go  in  this  direction  along  this  route  and  a  great  pre 
caution  was  as  a  matter  of  course  maintained  at  all 
times.  As  soon  as  a  camp  was  established  strong 
picket  lines  were  formed  and  outposts  were  estab 
lished.  On  the  night  referred  to,  a  number  of  shots 
were  heard  near  one  of  the  outposts  and  the  result 
was  considerable  confusion  in  camp.  One  of  the  sur 
geons,  not  a  member  of  the  Fourth  Ohio,  pulled  down 
his  shelter  tent  from  over  his  mate,  packed  all  his  be 
longings,  climbed  in  his  saddle  and  remained  there 
until  daylight,  unheedful  of  the  reproaches  and  jests 
of  his  comrades. 

It  was  learned  that  the  shots  came  from  an  at 
tack  on  the  outposts  by  a  band  of  guerrillas,  but  the 
cavalrymen  were  too  much  for  the  Dons  and  their 
attack  was  easily  repelled  after  the  exchange  of  a 
few  moments'  hot  firing.  The  loss  sustained  to  the 
hospital  command  was  nothing  but  two  Porto  Rican 


s  i 

3  i 
5 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  249 

camp  followers  were  killed.  The  loss  to  the  attack 
ing  party  was  never  learned.  The  march  was  re 
sumed  on  the  following  morning  and  no  trouble  of 
this  kind  was  met  from  that  on  to  the  end  of  the  jour 
ney. 

Arroyo  was  reached  on  August  10th  and  a  gen 
eral  hospital  was  at  once  established.  It  was  in  exist 
ence  a  very  short  time,  however,  for  during  Thurs 
day  night  and  early  Friday  morning  the  hospital  was 
moved  in  a  blinding  rain  to  Guayama.  Their  removal 
under  these  circumstances  caused  considerable  un 
favorable  comment  at  the  time  and  for  some  time  aft 
erwards,  but  the  removal  was  made  in  anticipation  of 
a  concerted  movement  of  the  American  forces  toward 
the  north  and  was  an  absolute  necessity.  As  a  mat 
ter  of  fact  hostilities  were  suspended  during  the  next 
twentyfour  hours,  but  the  authorities  were  certainly 
justified  in  making  this  preparation  for  taking  care 
of  the  thousands  who  would  have  been  wounded  had 
that  movement  been  made. 

Hostilities  having  ceased,  preparations  were  at 
once  made  to  continue  the  hospital  at  Guayama.  A 
location  was  selected  at  the  top  of  a  broad  hill  just 
east  of  the  city.  There  was  plenty  of  room,  a  good 
breeze  always  stirring  and  the  drainage  was  perfect. 
Aside  from  the  fact  that  there  was  no  shade  except 
what  was  afforded  by  the  tents,  this  spot  was  a  delight 
ful  place  for  the  location  of  a  field  hospital.  Many 
a  poor  fellow  was  nursed  back  to  health  from  a 
burning  tropical  fever  at  this  hospital  and  many  a 
poor  fellow  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  forever 


250  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

within  its  tented  wards  during  the  following  months. 
It  continued  in  use  until  the  forenoon  of  October  7th, 
when  it  was  ordered  broken  up  by  General  Grant. 

It  was  here  that  Dr.  Taylor  rejoined  the  regi 
ment.  Dr.  Semans  was  at  that  time  himself  a  patient 
in  the  hospital  and  the  health  of  the  regiment  was  at 
once  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Taylor,  Dr.  Wright 
still  being  at  Isabel  Segunda  with  M  company.  The 
enlisted  force  of  the  medical  department,  however, 
was  ordered  to  San  Juan  to  duty  in  the  general  hos 
pital  there  and  that  duty  continued  until  the  regiment 
was  ready  to  leave  the  island. 

These  men  had  applied  for  release  from  that 
duty  but  their  appeals  were  not  heeded.  Colonel 
Coit  ordered  them  to  return  to  the  regiment,  but 
technically  they  were  out  of  his  control  and  the  boys 
were  unable  to  obey  the  order.  Privates  Judkins, 
Pringle  and  Moon  were  still  at  Ponce  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  their  comrades  were  returning  home. 
The  officers  of  the  regiment  did  all  in  their  power  to 
secure  the  release  of  the  boys  at  San  Juan,  but  all 
seemed  to  be  in  vain  until  it  was  decided  to  stand  on 
the  fact  that  the  regulations  of  the  army  provide  that 
a  traveling  command  is  entitled  to  what  is  equal  to 
one-twelfth  of  its  strength  in  hospital  help.  This  was 
applied  for  and  srranted.  Then  a  member  of  General 
Brooke's  staff  was  given  the  names  of  the  Fourth 
Ohio  men  and  these  were  the  men  assigned  to  accom 
pany  the  regiment  on  the  Chester.  When  Columbus 
was  reached  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  obtain  the  dis 
charge  of  the  hospital  force. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  251 

After  the  entire  regiment  was  reunited  at  San 
Juan,  the  trip  back  to  the  starting  point  was  void  of 
interesting  incident  to  the  medical  department,  as 
they  were  kept  busy  from  the  time  the  Chester 
steamed  out  of  the  harbor  at  San  Juan  until  the  regi 
ment  landed  at  the  auditorium  at  Columbus.  Even 
then  while  the  remainder  of  the  regiment  was  enjoy 
ing  a  furlough  of  sixty  days,  members  of  the  medical 
department  were  on  duty  at  the  auditorium,  readTT  to 
look  after  the  physical  welfare  of  the  boys. 

This  chapter  has  told  in  a  feeble  manner,  the 
work  of  the  hospital  force  of  the  Fourth  Ohio.  "The 
half  has  not  been  told."  *In  fact,  if  the  medical  de 
partment  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  were  to  be  given  all  the 
credit  they  deserve,  it  would  be  necessary  to  devote 
to  the  story  of  their  labors,  a  volume  much  larger  than 
this.  To  use  the  language  of  a  western  statesman, 
these  men  "knowed  their  dutv  and  done  it  well."  No 
one  could  do  more. 


252  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ARMY  OF  OCCUPATION. 

What  General  Brooke  Said  of  the  Fourth  Ohio— D  Company 
to  Humacao — A  Forty  Miles'  March — M  Company  by 
Sea  to  Vieques — Duty  at.  Fajardo — Trouble  at  Carolina — 
Beautiful  Country  at  Aibonito — An  Officer  Assaulted 
at  Cayey — B  Company  at  Rio  Piedras — Record  of 
Events  in  the  Companies  Which  Americanized  the 
Eastern  Third  of  Porto  Rico. 


COMPANY  D  AT  HUMACAO. 

If  a  straight  line  be  drawn  across  the  map  of 
Porto  Rico  from  Ponce  on  the  south  to  San  Juan  at 
the  north,  about  one-third  of  the  area  and  population 
of  the  entire  island  will  be  seen  to  lie  at  the  east 
This  territory  and  also  that  of  Vieques  was  not  won 
by  the  Fourth  Ohio  from  the  hands  of  the  Spanish 
any  more  than  by  the  other  regiments  which  perform 
ed  duty  in  the  war,  but  it  was  occupied  by  the  Fourth 
Ohio  during  the  most  critical  period  in  the  change 
from  Spanish  to  American  government  of  the  island. 
Just  why  this  duty  was  assigned  to  the  Fourth  Ohio 
when  there  were  two  other  regiments  in  the  same  bri 
gade  and  several  other  brigades  in  the  island  is  not 
explained  in  the  orders  designating  Fourth  Ohio  com 
panies  to  the  different  stations,  but  the  language-  of 
General  Brooke  at  the  time  of  the  departure  of  the 
regiment  to  the  states  seems  to  throw  considerable 
light  on  the  subject. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  253 

Said  General  Brooke :  "This  regiment  is  one  of 
the  best  on  the  island,  volunteer  or  regular.  At  one 
time  I  had  but  two  volunteer  regiments  in  my  com 
mand.  They  were  the  Fourth  Ohio  and  First  Ken 
tucky.  All  the  others  were  either  too  homesick  for 
duty  or  they  were  transformed  into  regimental  hos 
pitals." 

It  was  certainly  a  pleasure  for  the  members  of 
the  regiment  to  realize  that  this  was  their  standing 
with  the  commanding  general,  but  it  seemed  strange 
sometimes  to  see  the  other  regiments  lying  about 
camp  doing  nothing  while  they  were  busy  patrolling 
the  eastern  third  of  the  island.  It  required  four  dif 
ferent  regiments  to  take  care  of  the  other  two-thirds, 
and  even  then  there  were  depredations  committed 
in  all  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  while  the  duty  of 
the  Fourth  Ohio  was  characterized  by  a  happy, 
quiet  condition  of  the  whole  territory  in  which  the 
regiment  was  stationed.  The  provost  duty  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  began  on  the  evening  of  the  capture  of 
Guayama,  when  Company  B  was  given  charge  of  the 
town.  This  was  only  broken  twice,  when  the  other 
regiments  took  up  the  work  at  Guayama  temporarily. 
Then  came  the  tour  of  duty  of  A  and  E  Companies, 
lasting  from  the  middle  of  August  until  they  boarded 
the  Chester  to  return  to  the  states,  and  of  the  other 
companies  after  September  20  to  the  same  time. 
After  the  detachment  just  mentioned,  D  company  was 
ordered  to  Humacao.  The  order,  dated  September 
17th,  reads  as  follows: 


254  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

"The  brigade  general  commanding  directs  that 
you  will  immediately  prepare  a  company  of  your 
regiment  to  take  station  at  Humacao,  P.  R.  They 
must  be  fully  equipped  and  take  their  tentage  and 
thirty  days'  rations,  which  the  brigade  commissary 
will  issue  to  them.  The  company  must  start  this 
afternoon  and  reach  Humacao  about  8  a.  m.,  Mon 
day,  September  19th.  They  will  take  a  U.  S.  flag 
to  be  raised  in  the  town.  If  you  have  no  flag,  the 
brigade  quartermaster  will  furnish  one. 
"Very  respectfully, 

"0.  W.  FEN-TEN,  A.  A.  G." 

On  the  receipt  of  this  order  Company  D  was  at 
once  designated  by  Colonel  Coit  to  take  this  station. 
This  company  had  on  the  evening  of  the  parade  at  the 
Guayaina  plaza,  the  strongest  line  in  the  regiment. 
Arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  the  start  and 
before  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the  order  was  re 
ceived,  the  company  was  on  its  way,  completing  the 
march  of  forty  miles  over  mountain  roads  and  reach 
ing  their  destination  at  8  o'clock  Monday  Morning, 
September  19th.  The  following  is  extracted  from 
the  several  reports  made  by  Captain  Sellers  to  Gen 
eral  Grant: 

"The  company  marched  to  a  point  about  eight 
miles  distant  from  the  regimental  camp,  when  we 
went  into  camp  for  the  night.  Resumed  the  march 
at  5  a.  m.,  September  18th,  and  marched  until  noon, 
when  command  halted  for  mess.  March  resumed  at 
3  p.  m.  and  4  p.  m.  Maunabo  was  reached.  From 
English-speaking  natives  and  others  I  learned  that 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  255 

the  mountain  road  was  impassable  to  our  wagons. 
Deeming  my  orders  to  reach  Humacao  at  a  certain 
time  to  be  imperative,  I  took  Lieutenant  Turner  and 
thirty-five  men  and  started  for  Humacao,  leaving 
rest  of  company  and  wagon  train  in  charge  of  Lieu 
tenant  Newlove  at  Manaubo,  with  orders  to  follow 
Monday  morning. 

"We  left  Maunabo  at  4:30  p.  m.  and  arrived  at 
the  top  of  the  mountain  at  6  p.  m.,  where  I  ordered 
a  halt.  Personally  inspecting  the  road  as  we  came 
over  it,  I  found  that  it  would  be  utterly  impossible 
to  bring  our  wagons.  I  sent  word  to  Lieutenant 
Newlove  to  remain  in  Maunabo  until  further  orders. 
Marched  down  the  mountain  and  arrived  at  Yabocoa 
at  9  p.  m.,  September  18th.  Finding  the  distance 
to  Humacao  could  be  covered  in  four  hours,  I  de 
cided  to  stay  in  Yabacoa  for  the  night.  We  left  the 
town  at  4  a.  m.  and  at  7 :45  a.  m.  arrived  at  Humacao. 
I  immediately  proceeded  to  the  residence  of  the  lieu 
tenant  colonel  in  command  of  the  Spanish  forces 
here  and  found  that  their  orders  were  not  to  vacate 
the  town  until  September  22nd.  In  order  to  pre 
vent  trouble  I  granted  an  extension  of  one  hour  in 
order  that  he  might  confer  with  his  commanding 
general,  which  he  did  at  once.  In  about  a  half  hour 
I  received  the  following  telegram : 

"  'There  has  been  some  mistake  in  the  time  of 
your  arrival  in  Humacao.  You  will  now  await  outr 
side  the  town  the  time  when  Spanish  troops  will 
vacate,  which  will  be  on  Thursday,  September  22nd.' 


256  TEE    FOURTU     0.     V.     I. 

"Having  no  tentage  or  rations  I  secured  the  use 
of  a  large  house  about  one-half  mile  south  from  the 
town,  where  we  went  in  quarters  to  await  evacuation 
of  Spanish  troops.  No  sickness  of  any  kind  among 
the  men  who  accompanied  me  over  the  mountain  to 
Humacao.  The  morning  of  the  22nd  Lieutenant 
JSTewlove  with  his  detail  marched  from  the  coast  to 
Humacao  and  with  the  entire  company  I  proceeded  to 
the  City  Hall,  and  raising  the  American  flag,  took 
possession  of  the  city  at  8  a.  m.,  September  22nd. 
The  raising  of  the  flag  was  done  with  the  usual 
honors.  I  then  proceeded  with  a  detail  to  the  cus 
toms  house  six  miles  distant  and  raised  the  flag. 
Will  make  due  examination  of  the  books  and  papers 
and  report  as  soon  as  possible. 

"After  raising  the  flag  on  the  22nd  the  mayor, 
clerk  of  register  and  notary  public  refused  to  serve. 
I  called  a  meeting  of  the  more  prominent  citizens  and 
explained  that  I  was  not  sent  here  to  make  changes 
unless  positively  necessary,  but  everything  was  to 
run  as  before.  I  asked  them  to  name  good  native 
citizens  competent  to  fill  the  offices  and  I  appointed 
Jaquine  Nasereer  Berrios  mayor  and  Jose  Toro  Rias 
clerk  of  registers  to  serve  during  the  pleasure  of  the 
U.  S.  government.  The  notary  public  had  orders  to 
deliver  the  records  over  to  the  presiding  judge  and  I 
decided  that  the  judge  was  competent  to  name  a  man 
to  fill  the  office,  and  he  decided  that  the  proper  man 
was  the  first  deputy,  who  is  now  in  charge  of  the 
office.  One-half  the  council  refuses  to  serve,  but  I 
did  nothing  toward  filling  their  places. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     I.  257 

" After  raising  the  flag  at  the  customs  house, 
which  is  on  the  beach  six  miles  distant,  the  captain 
of  the  port,  upon  orders  of  his  superior,  took  mv  re 
ceipt  for  the  books  and  papers  of  his  office,  and  after 
consultation  with  the  collector  of  customs  I  ap 
pointed  Eugene  Lopez  to  take  charge  of  the  office, 
taking  his  receipt  for  the  same. 

" After  cleaning  and  -  purifying  the  barracks, 
under  the  supervision  of  my  hospital  steward,  I 
moved  the  company  into  them.  The  barracks  art 
large  and  in  fair  condition  and  situated  within  one 
square  of  the  court  house.  The  water  supply  is  very 
poor,  all  water  having  to  be  hauled  from  the  river 
some  distance  away.  Have  made  temporary  arrange 
ments  with  the  same  man  who  furnished  water  for 
the  Spanish  forces.  Our  health  is  good,  no  one  in 
the  hospital. 

"The  city  prison  is  located  in  the  rear  of  the 
court  house  and  has  about  ninety  prisoners.  It  re 
quires  fifteen  men  to  guard  it,  which  is  the  same  as 
the  Spanish  had.  I  have  a  detail  of  one  corporal 
and  six  men  at  the  beach.  The  customs  house  of 
Humacao  receives  all  the  reports  and  money  taken 
in  by  the  customs  houses  at  Naugabo  and  Fajardo. 
The  books  and  papers  seem  to  be  well  taken  care  of. 
Office  and  house  clean.  This  office  received  for  the 
year  ending  July  1st,  '98,  from  all  sources,  $85,- 
038.36,  of  which  $7448  were  received  from  Naugabo 
and  $16,182  from  Fajardo.  The  man  at  the  cus 
toms  house  seems  to  be  competent  to  fill  the  place 
and  I  have  appointed  him  deputy  collector. 


258  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

"On  the  28th  inst.  I  ordered  Lieutenant  Turner 
to  take  a  squad  of  twelve  men  and  proceed  to  !N~augabo 
and  raise  the  flag  and  inform  the  mayor  that  that 
town  was  under  the  supervision  of  the  United  States, 
and  in  case  of  trouble  to  notify  me.  Lieutenant 
Turner  returned  to  Humacao  at  6  p.  m.  on  the  28th 
and  reported  that  he  had  executed  my  order  and  that 
he  had  found  the  situation  in  that  neighborhood 
quiet." 

On  the  30th  of  September,  in  obedience  to  or 
ders  from  the  brigade  commander,  Lieutenant  Turner 
and  a  detail  was  sent  to  the  towns  of  Juncas  and 
Piedras  for  the  purpose  of  raising  the  American  flag 
at  those  places.  On  his  return  everything  was  re 
ported  quiet  at  Piedras,  but  at  Juncas  the  mayor  re 
fused  to  continue  in  office  under  American  rule  and 
promptly  sent  his  resignation,  turning  the  office  over 
to  the  first  deputy.  This  arrangement  seems  to  have 
suited  the  deputy  first  rate,  as  he  wrote  the  next  day 
that  he  had  everything  in  his  care  and  in  good  shape. 
He  was  continued  in  office. 

On  October  1st  Captain  Sellers  and  a  squad 
raised  the  flag  and  appointed  a  new  mayor  at  the  town 
of  Yabucao,  and  on  the  4th  Lieutenant  Turner  and  a 
squad  visited  the  town  of  San  Lorenzo.  This  town 
was  also  made  American  and  everything  seemed  to 
be  very  satisfactory  with  the  greater  number  of 
people. 

When  the  company  reached  Humacao,  the  police 
officers  carried  short  swords  or  "machetes."  These 
were  taken  up  and  maces  given  them  and  they  were 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  259 

uniformed  according  to  the  American  idea.  The 
town  was  thoroughly  cleaned  from  one  end  to  the 
other  and  forty  prisoners  were  taken  from  the  jail  and 
put  to  work  on  the  roads.  No  rum  was  permitted  to 
be  sold  to  the  soldiers.  Eight  mounted  patrolmen 
traversed  the  country  immediately  surrounding 
Humacao,  and  during  his  stay  there  Captain  Sellers 
made  visits  to  the  other  towns,  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  civil  authorities  and  rendering  them  all  the  aid 
in  his  power. 

At  no  time  was  there  any  sickness  in  the  com 
pany  worthy  of  mention.  Steward  Burr,  of  the  hos 
pital  department,  and  Dr.  Wilson,  one  of  the  enlisted 
men  who  had  sriven  their  services  as  surgeons,  were 
at  this  station,  and  in  his  reports  Captain  Sellers 
praises  both.  The  company  remained  at  Humacao 
until  October  25th,  when  it  was  relieved  by  the 
Forty-seventh  New  York  from  the  Chester. 
Humacao  was  a  much  better  town  than  Guayama 
and  the  soldiers  and  citizens  were  much  warmer 
friends.  As  evidence  of  the  esteem  in  which  the 
company  and  its  commander  were  held  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people  at  Humacao,  the  following  copy  of  a 
message  sent  to  General  Brooke  at  the  time  the  com 
pany  was  about  to  leave  for  the  United  States  is 
given: 

"Since  the  22nd  of  last  September,  on  which 
floats  in  this  city  the  American  flag,  hoisted  in  the 
name  of  your  government  by  the  worthy  Captain 
Chas.  F.  Sellers,  this  people,  sir,  have  nothing  but 
congratulations  for  you  and  for  General  Grant,  for 


260  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  proper  appointment  of  Mr.  Sellers,  who  has  ruled 
the  destinies  of  this  military  district  with  as  much 
justice  as  courtesy. 

"Therefore,  today,  on  having  notice  that  perhaps 
they  would  relieve  the  forces  that  said  captain  com 
mands,  ably  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Turner  and  sub 
altern  officers,  the  town  en  masse,  sir,  assist  me,  in 
order  that  with  the  Board  of  Magistrates,  we  may 
formulate  a  respectful  petition  before  you,  to  the  end 
that  if  it  is  not  a  hindrance  to  your  plans,  you  may 
be  pleased  to  leave  Captain  Sellers  in  this  city,  thus 
satisfying  a  strong  desire  of  this  town  where  he  has 
gained  so  many  sympathies  by  his  honesty,  good 
judgment  and  gentility. 

"At  the  same  time  the  populations  of  Yabucoa, 
San  Lorenzo,  Junces  Piedros  and  Naguabo,  by  means 
of  their  representatives,  join  in  making  this,  their 
manifestation. 

"Be  it  known  for  all  time,  that  our  gratitude  to 
you  will  be  profound,  if  we  obtain,  that  this  chief 
may  continue  among  us,  even  though  it  may  be  for  a 
little  longer  time." 

ON  THE  ISLAND  OF  VIEQUES. 

Company  D  having  been  assigned  to  special 
duty,  selected  on  account  of  its  fine  appearance  at  the 
big  parade  in  Guayama  plaza,  Company  M  was 
chosen  for  special  service.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  company  presented  a  fine  appearance  in  itself, 
it  was  in  bad  condition  as  to  commissioned  officers. 
Captain  Bostwick  had  been  compelled  to  go  to  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  261 

hospital  and  finally  to  return  to  the  states  on  account 
of  sickness,  and  Second  Lieutenant  George  M. 
Florence  had  been  left  at  Newport  News,  Va.,  on  ac 
count  of  typhoid  fever.  This  left  Lieutenant  Duffy 
in  command  of  the  company  and  the  only  officer 
present  for  duty.  The  lieutenant  was  capable  enough 
to  take  charge  of  the  company  "lone-handed"  under 
ordinary  conditions,  but  it  was  not  deemed  advisable 
to  detach  the  company  for  any  length  of  time  with 
out  giving  him  some  assistance.  To  this  end  First 
Lieutenant  Fred  S.  Whiley,  of  I  Company,  was  asr 
signed  to  M  Company,  and  he  accompanied  the  expe 
dition  about  to  be  described.  Having  had  consider 
able  experience  with  quartermasters'  stores,  Lieuten 
ant  Whiley  proved  himself  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
company. 

Company  M  was  ordered  on  September  17th  to 
go  to  the  island  of  Vieques,  a  small  island  some  dis 
tance  off  the  main  land  of  Porto  Rico.  In  the  order 
the  company  was  directed  to  leave  Guayama  on  the 
19th  and  to  assume  control  of  the  government  of  the 
entire  island.  About  2  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon, 
however,  the  order  was  changed  so  that  the  company 
was  directed  to  leave  Guayama  on  the  18th.  The 
start  was  made,  therefore,  about  5  o'clock  on  the  even 
ing  of  the  day  designated. 

Besides  M  Company  there  were  in  the  party 
Colonel  Coit,  Captain  Fenten  (General  Grant's  adju 
tant),  Captain  Wright,  who  was  to  look  after  the 
health  of  the  company  during  its  stay  on  the  island; 
Captain  Danavin,  Civilian  Aide  Weiner,  also  of  Gen- 


262  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

eral  Grant's  staff;  the  Fourth  Ohio  band  and  a  num 
ber  of  regimental  headquarters  attaches.  The  com 
pany  left  the  camp  and  passed  in  review  at  brigade 
headquarters,  then  proceeded  to  Arroyo,  which  sta 
tion  was  reached  about  8  o'clock  the  same  evening. 
Eighteen  wagons  were  required  to  remove  the  com 
pany  and  its  baggage,  but  as  soon  as  everything  could 
be  unloaded  and  stored  temporarily  in  the  customs 
house  at  Arroyo,  the  wagon  train  was  permitted  to 
return  to  Gruayama.  This  work  completed,  the  com 
pany  put  up  for  the  night. 

About  3  o'clock  the  next  morning  word  was  re 
ceived  from  Lieutenant  Newlove  of  Company  D,  an 
nouncing  the  trouble  met  by  their  baggage  train  at 
Maunabo.  Arrangements  were  accordingly  made  to 
help  him  out  of  his  difficulty.  On  the  morning  of  the 
19th  the  Still  water  appeared  in  the  harbor  and  ar 
rangements  were  at  once  made  for  the  start  to  Vie 
ques.  It  was  3  o'clock  of  the  same  afternoon,  how 
ever,  before  the  start  was  made,  and  sailing  under 
favorable  conditions  the  Stillwater  arrived  off  Mauna 
bo  at  about  5  o'clock  on  the  same  evening.  Here  the 
stranded  baggage  of  D  Company  was  taken  on,  but 
the  task  of  loading  was  not  completed  until  nearly 
midnight,  and  the  Stillwater  being  in  strange  waters, 
the  trip  was  not  resumed  until  the  morning  of  the 
20th.  Sailing  down  the  coast  the  port  of  Humacoa, 
or  Point  Santiago,  was  reached,  and  the  D  Company 
detachment  disembarked.  Colonel  Coit,  Captain 
Fenten,  Captain  Wright,  Captain  Donavin  and  Major 
Hogan,  of  the  Stillwater,  also  disembarked  and  went 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     I.  263 

over  to  the  city  of  Humacoa,  about  five  miles  inland, 
to  participate  in  the  flag  raising  ceremonies  with 
Captain  Sellers.  The  party  did  not  return  to  the 
Stillwater  until  late  that  night,  and  then  they 
had  a  bad  time  of  it,  the  storms  of  the  autumnal 
equinox  being  at  that  time  at  their  worst.  Before 
Point  Santiago  was  left,  however,  the  Stillwater  had 
the  experience  of  making  a  capture,  a  Spanish  schoon 
er  having  sailed  into  the  harbor.  The  captain  of  the 
vessel  readily  hauled  down  the  red  and  yellow  banner 
and  his  vessel  sailed  from  that  day  on  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  This  arrangement  was  perfectly  agree 
able  to  the  captain  of  the  vessel,  however,  as  he  had 
requested  an  American  flag  to  be  used  for  that  pur 
pose.  Word  was  also  received  that  the  company 
was  not  expected  to  take  possession  of  the  island  of 
Vieques  until  12  o'clock  noon  of  the  21st. 

It  was  11  o'clock  when  the  Stillwater  arrived  in 
the  harbor  at  Isabel  Segunda.  Arrangements  were 
at  once  made  for  disembarking,  and  about  sixty  of 
the  ninety  men  in  the  company  boarded  lighters. 
The  band  and  all  the  officers  also  boarded  lighters 
and  small  boats  and  the  command  was  towed  into 
the  shore.  As  the  soldiers  approached  the  landing, 
the  rocks  to  the  right  were  fairly  black  with  people 
who  had  rushed  to  the  water's  edge  to  welcome  their 
visitors,  shouting  at  the  top  of  their  voices  a  royal 
welcome.  To  the  left  of  the  landing,  however,  there 
was  an  entirely  different  scene.  There  in  front  of 
the  beautiful  light  house  were  the  Spanish  soldiers 
drawn  up  in  line,  waiting  for  their  conquerers  to  take 


264  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

the  final  step  toward  the  acquisition  of  more  of  their 
territory. 

Besides  the  crowd  of  citizens,  the  soldiers  were 
met  at  the  landing  by  the  mayor  of  the  town  and  by 
the  colonel  and  captain  who  had  occupied  the  fort  at 
this  station.  All  the  officers  except  Lieutenant 
Whiley,  who  remained  with  the  troops,  went  ashore 
and  up  to  the  fort,  which  stood  on  a  promontory 
back  of  the  town,  where  the  formal  arrangements 
were  made  for  the  turning  over  of  the  island  to  Lieu 
tenant  Duffy.  All  arrangements  having  been  com 
pleted  for  the  transfer,  word  was  sent  back  to  the 
men  who  in  the  meantime  had  effected  a  landing 
and  were  waiting  under  Lieutenant  Whiley  at  the 
customs  house.  By  direction  of  Colonel  Coit  the 
company  marched  to  the  Episcopal  church,  which,  by 
the  way,  was  one  of  the  only  two  Protestant  churches 
in  that  part  of  the  Spanish  possessions.  Here  the 
rector,  Rev.  Been,  conducted  a  praise  service.  A 
blessing  was  formally  invoked  upon  a  beautiful 
American  flag,  and  at  exactly  12  o'clock  noon,  this 
flag  was  officially  hoisted  above  the  highest  parapet 
of  the  fort  by  First  Sergeant  0.  K  Crum. 

This  was  the  first  American  flag  ever  raised  in 
that  part  of  the  world  and  by  that  act  another  valu 
able  possession  came  into  the  hands  of  the  United 
States. 

Immediately  after  the  flag  raising  ceremonies, 
the  officers  were  breakfasted  by  the  customs  officer. 
At  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  officers  repaired  to 
the  apothecary  shop  of  Senor  Victor  Dutiel,  who 


•oaavrvd 


3N3OS 


THE    FOURTH     O.     7.     /.  265 

acted  as  interpreter,  and  the  transfer  papers  were 
formally  completed  and  signed  by  Captain  Francisco 
Rasineras,  of  the  Spanish  army,  and  First  Lieutenant 
Charles  G.  Duffy,  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  In 
fantry,  special  commissioners  for  the  United  States 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Spain.  Shortly  after  this  all 
the  officers  except  those  who  were  to  remain  on  the 
island,  and  the  band  returned  to  the  Stillwater  and 
sailed  for  Arroyo,  leaving  Lieutenant  Duffy  and 
Company  M  "monarehs  of  all  they  surveyed." 

One  of  the  first  duties  for  the  company  to  per 
form  was  to  find  "where  they  were  at."  Vieques 
was  found  to  be  an  island  containing  5528  peopleu 
There  were  two  towns,  Isabel  Segunda,  the  capital, 
and  Mosquito.  The  wealth  of  the  island  consisted 
principally  of  cattle,  horses  and  sugar,  while  in  the 
extreme  eastern  end  of  the  island  were  the  "La» 
Salinas"  lagoons.  With  the  investment  of  a  little 
capital  it  was  learned  that  the  salt  producing  in 
dustry  here  would  soon  develop  into  importance. 

The  people  were  found  to  excel  in  every  way 
the  inhabitants  of  Porto  Rico.  Their  homes  were 
more  conveniently  and  more  comfortably  furnished 
and  the  island  which  they  occupied  was  seen  to  be  a 
very  healthful  one.  One  of  the  proofs  of  this  con 
dition  is  that  during  all  the  time  the  company  was  on 
the  island  there  was  not  a  time  when  more  than  three 
men  reported  to  the  hospital  in  one  day  and  there 
was  usually  but  one.  Soldiers  who  accompanied  the 
company  there  weak  and  frail,  left  the  island  sound 
and  healthy  men.  Dr.  Wright,  who  had  made  the 


266  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

sanitary  conditions  a  careful  study,  reported  that  of 
all  the  Spanish  countries  he  had  yet  seen,  Vieques 
was  the  ideal  location  for  a  health  resort. 

The  people  were  willing  and  anxious  to  aid  the 
military  in  reorganizing  the  government  of  the  island. 
Not  a  single  outrage  was  committed  in  the  island 
while  the  company  occupied  it.  One  of  the  first 
reforms  worked  by  Lieutenant  Duffy  was  the  re 
organization  of  the  schools  and  the  employment  of 
English-speaking  teachers.  Other  accomplishments 
were  the  amicable  settlement  of  the  questions  of 
church  and  state,  appointment  of  a  new  mayor, 
municipal  government  rearranged  and  two  new  coun- 
cilmen  appointed,  the  thorough  patrol  of  the  entire 
island  by  mounted  patrolmen,  appointment  of  new 
civil  and  criminal  judges,  the  discharge  of  six  customs 
officers  and  the  rearrangement  of  salaries,  a  thorough 
cleansing  of  streets  and  public  buildings  and  a  gen 
eral  "house  cleaning"  from  one  end  of  the  island  to 
the  other. 

In  all  this  work  the  citizens  entered  with  a  spirit 
that  showed  a  determination  to  become  good  Ameri 
can  citizens.  Isabel  Segunda  was  visited  by  a  United 
States  treasury  officer,  who  made  a  careful  inspection 
of  the  customs  office  and  pronounced  everything  in 
excellent  condition.  The  work  done  by  M  Company 
was  certainly  an  excellent  one  and  the  people  of  the 
island  thoroughly  appreciated  all  that  was  done  for 
them.  They  treated  the  soldiers  with  all  the  hospi 
tality  known  to  civilization  and  feasts  and  banquets 
were  the  order  of  the  day  from  the  first  to  the  last  of 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  267 

every  week.  As  the  population  was  largely  made 
up  of  French  the  science  of  good  eating  was  generally 
pretty  well  understood  by  the  people,  and  this  knowl 
edge  was  thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  soldiers,  who 
were  invited  to  test  it.  Fine  ponies  were  brought  to 
the  fort  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  troops  and 
cows  were  brought  in  so  that  they  might  have  fresh 
milk  all  the  time.  The  very  finest  cattle  were  killed 
for  their  benefit  and  the  "finest  of  the  land"  was  at 
all  times  at  the  disposal  of  the  company,  whose  mem 
bers  lived  like  so  many  kings  during  their  entire  stay 
in  the  island. 

On  September  26th  Major  Jones  arrived  at  the 
island  with  money  with  which  to  pay  the  men,  but 
money  to  them  was  aas  filthy  lucre,"  for  although 
they  were  "strapped"  for  the  most  part,  they  could 
get  almost  anything  they  wanted  without  paying  for 
it,  as  the  people  were  glad  to  give  it  to  them.  With 
the  paymaster,  however,  came  Lieutenants  Hamil  and 
Ward,  of  Companies  B  and  G,  who  relieved  Lieuten 
ant  Whiley,  his  own  company  having  been  assigned 
to  similar  duty  at  Fajardo. 

A  communication  by  means  of  the  heliograph 
was  established  between  Isabel  Segunda  and  Fajardo, 
and  this  added  much  to  the  convenience  and  pleasure 
of  the  company.  The  same  was  tried  with  Humacoa, 
but  the  experiment  failed.  A  yacht  was  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  the  company,  however,  and  when  the 
weather  would  permit,  trips  were  made  across  the 
channel  and  visits  made  to  the  other  companies  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Porto  Rico. 


268  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

During  the  entire  stay  of  the  company  on  the 
island  the  boys  enjoyed  the  same  hospitality  and  the 
same  friendship  with  the  citizens  until  on  the  26th  of 
October,  when  the  steamer  Chester  arrived  at  the 
harbor  with  a  company  of  the  Forty-seventh  New 
York  to  relieve  them.  Although  the  boys  were  glad 
to  return  to  their  homes  they  could  not,  however, 
leave  the  island  and  their  numerous  friends  without 
a  feeling  of  reluctance.  Just  before  taking  his  de 
parture  Lieutenant  Duffy,  Dr.  Wright  and  Lieuten 
ants  Hamil  and  Ward  were  banqueted,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  festivities,  a  petition  was  presented  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  president  of  the  United  States,  asking 
that  Lieutenant  Duffy  be  sent  to  the  island  as  its 
governor.  This  petition  was  signed  by  every  land 
owner  in  the  island. 

DETACHMENT  TO  FAJARDO. 

The  next  company  to  receive  orders  for  detached 
service  was  Company  I,  of  Lancaster,  Captain  Palmer 
commanding.  The  company  left  Guayama  a  few 
days  after  the  paymaster  had  visited  the  Fourth  and 
the  boys  of  the  company  were  feeling  in  excellent 
condition  for  almost  any  kind  of  service.  "Anything 
to  get  away  from  Guayama,"  was  the  general  motto, 
and  I  Company  was  not  an  exception  in  this  matter. 
The  service  of  Company  I  is  well  described  in  the 
report  which  Captain  Palmer  made  to  General  Grant, 
given  in  full  as  follows: 


THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     I.  269 

Fajardo,  P.  R.,  Oct.,  5th,  1898. 

Brigadier    General    Grant,    Commanding    Second    Brigade 
First  Division,  First  Corps: 

Sir — In  accordance  with,  orders  received  from 
brigade  headquarters  September  26th,  1898,  I  left 
Guayama,  P.  R.,  with  my  company  en  route  to  Fa 
jardo  on  September  28th,  1898.  At  2  p.  m.  that 
date  we  embarked  on  the  "Gypsum  King,"  then  lay 
ing  off  Arroyo.  The  following  day  at  2:30  p.  m.  we 
landed  at  Fajardo  beach  and  immediately  took  pos 
session  of  the  customs  house  and  raised  the  United 
States  flag  thereon.  In  this  building  I  am  using  a 
large  room  as  a  store  for  Q.  M.  and  commissary  sup 
plies,  the  place  being  guarded  by  two  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  six  privates. 

Here  I  met  a  Mr.  Bird,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
the  town.  Assisted  by  him  I  examined  the  books  of 
the  customs  authorities  and,  as  far  as  I  could  discern, 
and  according  to  Mr.  Bird's  decision,  the  books  and 
accounts  were  in  good  order. 

At  4  p.  m.  the  same  day  the  United  States  flag 
was  raised  over  the  alcalde's  office  in  this  town  amidst 
great  rejoicing  of  the  people.  On  the  30th  of  Sep 
tember  I  reinstated  C.  Andrew  as  alcalde. 

This  gentleman  was  legally  elected  and  is  their 
choice.  He  had  to  leave  here  some  time  ago  because 
the  Spaniards  would  not  permit  him  to  remain  in  the 
town.  On  this  day  the  town  council  met  and  re 
organized.  With  the  exception  of  two,  all  the  old 
members  were  retained.  The  two  mentioned — one 
a  Spaniard,  the  other  a  Cuban — resigned  because  they 


270  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

could  not  bear  allegiance  to  America.  At  this  meet 
ing  the  following  officials  were  appointed  for  the  time 
being:  Collector  of  Customs,  Edwardo  Alonzo; 
Paymaster  of  Customs,  Manuel  Guzman;  Captain  of 
Port,  Jovito  Perovia;  Judge,  Jose  Garcia.  The  po 
lice  force  was  reduced  from  nine  to  five.  The  cus 
toms  house  staff  from  ten  to  seven.  The  captain  of  port 
had  two  assistants.  Both  of  these  men  were  dis 
charged.  It  is  my  opinion,  these  appointments  and 
reductions  will  prove  beneficial. 

As  there  is  no  land  here  suitable  for  a  camp 
without  renting  it,  my  men  are  now  quartered  in  an 
old  theater  which  was  formerly  used  by  Spanish 
troops.  The  only  water  I  can  obtain  has  to  be  hauled 
from  the  river  near  by.  It  is  not  of  the  best  quality, 
owing  to  the  constant  rains  and  the  fact  that  most  of 
the  people  bathe  and  wash  clothes  therein. 

At  3  p.  m.  on  the  2nd  of  October  the  United 
States  flag  was  raised  in  the  town  of  Ceibe.  The 
natives  were  jubilant  and  orderly.  As  the  place  is 
quiet  there  is  no  need  for  a  guard  to  be  stationed 
there. 

Yesterday  morning  at  10:15  a.  m.  the  United 
States  flag  was  raised  above  the  alcalde's  office  at 
Loquillo.  Here,  as  in  Ceibo,  a  guard  is  not  neces 
sary.  I  have  instructed  the  alcaldes  of  both  towns 
that  if  they  ever  need  assistance  to  let  me  know.  I 
will  visit  these  places  every  few  days. 

In  the  towns  of  Fajardo,  Ceibo  and  Loquillo 
there  is  no  disorder,  all  the  people  being  seemingly 
well  pleased  with  American  occupation. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  271 

Before  closing  this  report  I  wish  to  mention  Mr. 
H.  Bird.  He  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to  me. 
He  has  neglected  his  business  to  assist  me  here  and  in 
the  other  towns.  Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given 
him  for  his  faithfulness. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  respectfully, 
L.  H.  PALMER, 
Captain  Company  I,  Fourth  O.  V.  I. 

One  of  the  advantages  enjoyed  by  I  Company, 
and  which  also  was  the  source  of  a  great  deal  of  satis 
faction  to  the  other  companies  occupying  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  island,  was  that  many  of  the  citizens 
spoke  the  English  language  very  well.  This  made 
the  employment  of  interpreters  less  necessary  and  less 
difficult.  For  this  reason  also,  the  members  of  the 
companies  were  better  enabled  to  buy  provisions  from 
the  native  markets,  and  when  they  were  entertained 
away  from  the  barracks,  their  pleasure  was  not 
marred  by  being  unable  to  converse  with  their  hosts 
as  had  been  the  case  at  Gruayama  and  some  of  the 
other  towns. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  the  company  to  have, 
Dr.  Samuel  K.  Carson,  a  member  of  A  Company,  as 
signed  to  them  as  medical  officer.  Dr.  Carson  had  no 
commission,  was  merely  a  private,  but  he  was  a  gradu 
ate  in  medicine,  was  enthusiastic  in  his  profession, 
and  not  only  stood  well  at  the  college  he  had  just 
left,  but  also  with  every  one  with  whom  he  came  in 
contact.  Fortunately  there  was  little  sickness  in  the 
company  while  at  Fajardo,  but  Dr.  Carson  performed 
this  duty  as  well  and  as  freely  as  though  he  had  held 


272  THE    FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

a  commission  as  a  medical  officer.  His  work  with  the 
company  was  highly  appreciated  by  the  officers  and 
men  of  the  regiment. 

At  no  time  during  the  stay  of  the  company  at 
Fajardo  was  there  any  clash  between  the  citizens  and 
the  soldiers  and  the  stay  was  mutually  a  pleasant  one 
until  the  Chester  appeared  in  the  harbor  and  the 
boys  embarked  for  home. 

COMPANY  L  AT  CAROLINA. 

The  service  of  nearly  all  the  detached  companies 
in  Porto  Kico  was  characterized  by  the  kindly  feeling 
extended  to  the  soldiers  by  the  natives  in  whose  midst 
they  had  been  sent.  One  of  the  exceptions  to  this 
rule,  however,  was  the  service  of  Company  L,  Cap 
tain  F.  M.  French  commanding.  Company  L  had 
made  for  itself  a  record  at  Camp  Thomas  as  one  of 
the  best  disciplined  and  most  orderly  divisions  of  the 
regiment,  and  it  was  very  fortunate  indeed  that  this 
particular  company  was  assigned  to  the  post  it  occu 
pied  in  Porto  Eico.  The  company  was  organized  at 
Mt.  Yernon  and  was  made  up  of  the  kind  of  men 
who  are  willing  to  go  anywhere  or  do  anything  that 
comes  along  the  line  of  duty,  and  the  greatest  reward 
they  could  have  received  for  their  work  was  the  con 
sciousness  that  the  duty  had  been  performed  to  the 
best  of  their  ability. 

After  the  regimental  camp  had  been  formed  at 
Guayama,  L  Company  remained  in  its  regular  camp 
position  until  2  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  October 
5th. 


•'i 

I 


\ 

\ 

•4 


\ 


\ 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  273 

Orders  had  been  received  on  the  evening  of  the 
4th  for  the  company  to  take  possession  of  Caguas,  a 
town  32  miles  north  of  Guayama  on  the  road  to  San 
Juan.  The  order  stated  that  this  was  to  be  done  on 
the  5th,  and  it  was  this  fact  that  prompted  the  early 
start  and  which  is  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  state- 
ment  made  in  the  first  paragraph  of  this  account. 
The  order  had  been  issued  several  days  before,  but 
owing  to  the  condition  of  the  wires,  the  message  hal 
not  been  delivered. 

The  company  was  busy  until  the  hour  mentioned 
in  getting  things  in  readiness  for  the  march.  It  was 
raining  hard  all  night  and  as  wet  as  they  could  have 
been  had  they  fallen  into  the  river,  the  men  started 
on  the  thirty-two  mile  march  with  as  much  enthusi 
asm  as  that  with  which  they  had  left  their  native  town 
six  months  before.  The  march  was  not  only  a  long 
one,  but  it  was  attended  with  considerable  danger,  for, 
as  has  been  said  of  the  road  across  the  mountain 
to  Oayey,  a  false  step  in  the  darkness  meant  at  least  a 
serious  accident.  The  rain  continued  until  daylight, 
but  the  men  struggled  merrily  along,  up  the  steep 
mountain  road  and  down  on  the  other  side  until 
Oayey  was  reached.  Remarkably  good  time  had 
been  made  and  fearing  that  a  rest  would  interfere 
with  the  march,  to  say  nothing  of  the  failure  to  comply 
with  the  order  to  take  possession  of  Caguas  on  the 
5th,  Captain  French  decided  to  push  on  and  rest  at 
the  end  of  the  journey.  The  speed  was  kept  up  and 
shortly  after  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  5th  Com 
pany  L  was  in  the  city  they  were  to  occupy,  having 


274  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

covered  the  distance  of  32  miles  of  rough  road  in 
twenty  hours.  But  the  company  had  thus  obeyed 
orders  to  the  letter  and  every  member  was  happy 
even  if  he  was  nearly  tired  out. 

Caguas  had  been  quite  a  military  center  for  the 
Spaniards  and  there  was  plenty  of  barracks  room 
with  ample  facilities  for  cooking.  As  little  work  as 
possible  was  done  that  night,  but  the  next  morning 
the  American  flag  was  raised  over  the  city  and  Cap 
tain  French  assumed  general  control.  The  company 
remained  here  until  after  the  regiment  proper  had  ar 
rived,  when,  on  the  10th,  it  was  relieved  and  sent  on 
to  Carolina,  a  town  near  the  northern  coast. 

The  district  of  which  Carolina  was  the  capital 
embraced  the  towns  of  Rio  Grande,  Cannovinos  and 
Loiza.  The  American  flag  was  raised  at  each  of  these 
places  and  the  Spanish  flags  which  had  previously 
marked  their  allegiance,  became  the  property  of  Com 
pany  L.  This  section  of  the  island  was  one  of  the 
richest  agricultural  districts  in  Porto  Rico,  but  at  the 
time  the  company  took  charge  of  the  district,  a  gen 
eral  feeling  of  unrest  prevailed.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  workmen  at  the  Buena  Yista  plantation  were  on 
a  strike  and  agitators  were  attempting  to  induce  the 
employes  of  the  other  plantations  to  follow  the  ex 
ample  of  the  Buena  Vista  workmen.  The  strikers 
at  several  times  had  become  very  violent  in  their 
demonstrations  and  attempts  had  been  made  to  burn 
the  buildings.  Two  days  after  the  arrival  of  the 
company,  however,  these  men  were  induced  to  return 


TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  275 

to  work  and  in  another  two  days  quiet  was  restored 
at  the  other  plantations. 

There  was  other  trouble  to  occupy  the  minds  of 
the  company,  a  feeling  of  bitterness  having  been  de 
veloped  against  the  Catholic  priests  of  the  district. 
No  particular  reason  was  assigned  for  this,  the  trouble 
being  apparently  a  desire  upon  the  part  of  the  natives 
to  do  all  they  could  to  harass  the  Spanish  citizens, 
and  they  expected  the  American  soldiers  to  aid  them 
in  this.  On  the  evening  of  the  13th  a  mob  collected 
at  Carolina  and  an  attack  on  the  priest  was  made 
there.  The  prompt  action  of  the  provost  guard  pre 
vented  any  injurv  to  the  object  of  their  wrath  and 
they  were  also  prevented  from  following  out  their 
plan  to  burn  the  cathedral.  The  crowd  was  dispersed 
without  serious  trouble  and  quiet  was  restored  for  the 
time  being. 

At  a  later  hour  of  the  same  evening,  a  man 
fired  a  shot  at  Captain  French.  The  shot  was  fired 
through  a  hedge  and  the  captain  was  struck  on  the 
hand  and  forehead  with  the  burnt  powder  from  the 
explosion.  Fortunately  the  ball  missed  its  mark,  and 
aside  from  the  burns  Captain  French  escaped  unin 
jured.  The  would-be  assassin  made  good  his  escape 
and  in  spite  of  a  determined  effort  to  locate  him,  no 
clue  was  discovered  to  lead  to  his  detection  and  arrest. 
He  was  thought  to  have  been  the  hireling  of  a  dis 
appointed  candidate  for  the  office  of  mayor  of 
Carolina. 

There  was  no  further  trouble  in  the  district,  the 
natives  having  been  given  to  understand  that  the  sol- 


276  THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     7. 

diers  were  there  for  a  purpose  and  that  that  purpose 
was  not  to  aid  in  any  lawlessness,  even  though  it 
were  an  attempt  to  disturb  Spanish  citizens. 

The  health  of  the  company  remained  very  good 
while  at  Carolina  and  the  other  stations,  and  the  boys 
thoroughly  enjoyed  their  duty  there.  The  company 
remained  in  the  district  until  Friday,  October  28th, 
when  a  company  of  the  Forty-seventh  New  York  re 
lieved  them.  They  immediately  went  to  San  Juan, 
where  they  rejoined  the  regiment  and  sailed  for  home 
on  the  following  day. 

DELIGHTFUL  TRIP  OF  COMPANY  K. 

When  the  regiment  left  Cayey  on  the  morning 
of  October  8th,  Companies  F  and  K  were  left  behind. 
K  Company  had  been  assigned  to  Aibonito  and  cer 
tainly  that  command  received  the  "best  end'7  in  this 
detachment,  for  it  was  assigned  to  the  most  pictur 
esque  and  beautiful  part  of  the  island.  The  story 
of  the  service  at  Aibonito  and  surrounding  country 
is  told  by  Corporal  Patrick,  a  member  of  the  company 
at  that  time,  but  now  a  promising  attorney  of  Dela 
ware,  as  follows: 

"On  the  morning  of  October  8th  we  started  from 
Cayey  toward  the  east,  while  the  other  companies  kept 
on  north  toward  Caguas.  The  boys  were  still  stiff 
and  sore  from  their  little  constitutional  from 
Guayama  on  the  night  of  October  6th,  but  they  had 
heard  wonderful  stories  of  the  cool  and  healthy 
situation  of  Aibonito.  It  was  even  hinted  that  eggs 
could  be  bought  there  for  three  centavos  a  piece,  ami 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  277 

milk  for  six  centavos  per  quart,  but  the  man  who 
started  this  rumor  was  popularly  supposed  to  be 
juggling  with  the  truth,  although  he  protested  vali 
antly  that  'he  had  got  it  straight  from  a  Wisconsin 
man  who  had  been  there.'  All  these  things  helped 
to  cheer  up  the  bovs  and  as  we  swung  out  of  town  on 
that  beautiful  morning  all  previous  cares  and  hard 
ships  were  forgotten  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  present. 

"The  first  three  or  four  miles  were  level,  and  the 
time  was  passed  with  songs  and  stories.  Then  we 
struck  the  hills  and  settled  down  to  hard  work.  Our 
first  halt  was  made  where  a  little  stream  tumbles 
down  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  into  the  brick  gutter, 
which  ran  along  this  magnificent  military  road. 

"From  this  point  there  was  considerable  strag 
gling,  as  the  men  would  give  up  to  weariness  or  yield 
to  the  seductive  charms  of  a  chicken,  or  the  prospect 
of  a  few  eggs  or  a  hat  full  of  oranges. 

"We  soon  began  to  realize  the  beauty  of  the 
country  as  we  looked  down  into  the  valleys  beneath 
with  their  herds  of  cattle  and  ponies,  and  the  green 
hills  in  the  distance  covered  with  tropical  vegetation. 
There  was  nothing  rough  or  harsh  in  the  scenery ;  all 
was  peaceful  and  quiet  in  its  Arcadian  simplicity. 

"For  miles  one  could  see  over  the  tops  of  hills 
and  in  the  hazy  distance  could  catch  a  faint  glimpse 
of  the  Atlantic  ocean.  Some  devout  native  had 
planted  on  the  opposite  hillside  some  sort  of  domestic 
plant  in  the  form  of  a  huge  cross. 

"From  here  it  was  but  a  short  distance  to  the  top 
of  the  ridge,  and  from  there  the  road  was  compara- 


278  TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

tively  level.  Here  we  saw  many  fine  specimens  of 
ferns  and  of  coffee  and  banana  trees.  At  last  the 
head  of  the  column  reached  the  outskirts  of  the  town, 
where  they  halted  and  waited  for  the  stragglers,  each 
new  arrival  being  greeted  with  howls,  jeers  and  all 
kinds  of  chaff  reflecting  on  his  walking  abilities. 

"The  barracks  at  Aibonito  was  a  long  stone 
building,  built  on  a  slight  elevation  north  of  the 
the  town  and  on  the  military  road.  It  was  designed 
to  accommodate  a  full  battalion.  Just  west  of  it 
was  the  hospital,  also  of  stone,  and  a  model  of  its 
kind.  The  first  night  was  spent  in  getting  acquainted 
with  the  Third  Wisconsin  boys  stationed  there,  whom 
we  were  to  relieve.  They  were  a  jolly  lot,  recruited 
from  Madison  and  the  surrounding  towns.  They  did 
their  best  to  entertain  us  with  various  little  social 
games,  and  they  succeeded  splendidly,  as  several  of 
the  boys  have  reason  to  remember. 

"The  first  duty  to  perform  was  the  raising  of  the 
flag.  The  two  companies  marched  down  to  the  plaza 
the  next  morning,  and  lined  up  in  front  of  the  jail. 
The  buglers  played  'to  the  colors,'  the  companies  pre 
sented  arms  and  the  flag  did  not  go  up.  It  started 
gracefully  enough,  but  the  ring  at  the  top  of  the  flag 
pole  pulled  out,  and  the  flag  fell  to  the  ground. 
This  frightened  the  natives,  who  were  enthusiastic 
over  the  flag  raising,  and  thought  dire  punishment 
would  be  meted  out  to  them  for  this  hitch  in  the  cere 
monies.  The  alcalde,  who  weighed  250  pounds,  im 
mediately  started  to  climb  the  flag  pole,  and  was 
only  prevented  from  swinging  out  from  the  balcony 


TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  279 

by  two  other  natives  hanging  onto  his  legs.  In  the 
meantime  one  little  bare-footed  fellow  had  skipped 
out  on  the  roof  of  the  jail,  but  about  all  he  seemed 
to  do  was  swing  his  arms  and  yell.  A  half  dozen 
others  reverently  gathered  up  the  flag  and  it  was 
finally  tied  to  the  flag  pole  at  half-mast.  In  the 
meantime  the  buglers  had  sounded  'to  the  colors' 
until  they  were  black  in  the  face,  and  the  men  stood 
at  present  arms  in  the  boiling  sun  until  the  muzzles 
of  their  pieces  wobbled  in  an  alarming  manner.  But 
this  ended  the  ceremony.  The  officers  went  to  a  ban 
quet  given  by  the  alcalde  and  other  solid  citizens  of 
the  town,  and  the  men  went  back  to  quarters  in 
charge  of  the  first  sergeants. 

''Life  at  Aibonito  was  one  of  unalloyed  bliss  as 
compared  with  our  previous  experiences  on  the  island. 
The  town  was  beautifully  situated  high  up  in  the 
hills,  and  the  climate  was  delightful.  Our  only  duty 
was  guard  every  four  or  five  days,  the  rest  of  the  time 
was  spent  in  wandering  over  the  hills,  hunting  out  the 
Spanish  fortifications  and  looking  for  relics  of  the 
Coamo  skirmish.  Just  south  of  the  town  was  the 
famous  Aibonito  pass,  where  the  Spanish  had  made 
preparations  for  a  desperate  stand,  which  would  un 
doubtedly  have  been  successful  against  any  force  that 
could  have  been  brought  up  in  front,  for  their  ar 
tillery  commanded  the  road  for  miles  down  the 
mountain. 

"A  few  days  after  our  arrival  a  detail  consisting 
of  Lieutenant  O.  0.  Koeppel,  Sergeant  H.  A.  Costler, 
Corporal  O.  W.  Patrick  and  Privates  S.  W.  Brown- 


280  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

ing,  0.  H.  Brunn,  H.  M.  Butt,  C.  L.  Janes,  M.  C. 
Mahanay,  Robert  Reed,  W.  R.  Rider  and  Edward 
Rodenfels,  were  detached  and  ordered  to  Barros,  a 
town  still  higher  up  in  the  mountains  and  off  the 
military  road.  We  left  Aibonito  accompanied  by  a 
wagon  in  which  was  stored  our  provisions  and  most  of 
our  equipment.  With  this  outfit  we  were  ordered 
to  go  over  a  trail  which  we  afterward  discovered 
eould  hardly  be  followed  by  a  mountain  pony. 
When  we  found  the  trail  it  was  plainly  impossible  to 
take  our  wagon  over  it.  A  native  storekeeper  went 
so  far  as  to  say  that  the  trail  was  impassable  on  foot, 
owing  to  recent  rains.  To  add  to  our  troubles  it 
began  to  rain,  nor  was  it  a  gentle  spring  shower,  but 
a  genuine  tropical  down-pour.  A  council  of  war  was 
held  in  the  little  store  and  it  was  decided  that  we 
must  have  ponies  and  burros  with  which  to  transport 
our  baggage.  Accordingly  we  started  out  in  the 
rain  to  find  them.  The  party  became  split  up  and 
{•ame  trailing  in  several  hours  later  with  a  total  of 
three  little  shaggy  ponies,  hired,  begged  and  stolen, 
with  which  to  convey  1000  pounds  of  baggage. 

"A  plantation  owner  just  across  the  road  from 
the  store  had  placed  at  our  disposal  a  large  coffee 
house  then  empty.  This  was  a  large,  airy  building, 
with  a  hard  dirt  floor  swept  scrupulously  clean. 
Here  we  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Each  man  put  on 
dry  clothing  and  the  hardships  of  the  day  were  soon 
forgotten  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  hearty  meal  prepared 
at  the  plantation  kitchen  and  washed  down  with 
:  several  bottles  of  rare  old  wine.  The  air  was  de- 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  281 

lightfully  cool  and  refreshing  from  the  recent  rain, 
and  many  a  jolly  song  was  sung  and  story  told,  till 
the  last  candle  flickered  and  went  out,  leaving  us  sur 
rounded  by  the  gloom  of  the  great  building. 

aThe  next  morning  we  started  on  mules  and 
ponies  to  Barronchitis.  We  had  gone  scarcely  two 
miles  when  we  came  to  a  mountain  stream  which 
swallowed  up  the  trail  completely,  and  a  little  native 
boy  showed  us  that  all  that  was  necessary  to  ford  it 
was  to  ride  up  the  bed  of  the  stream  about  half  a 
mile.  Here  the  trail  was  discovered.  A  few  miles 
further  on  we  were  royally  entertained  at  a  way-side 
plantation  by  a  lady  and  her  two  daughters.  We 
were  furnished,  without  the  asking,  with  a  cup  of 
delicious  coffee  and  several  kinds  of  tropical  fruits. 
We  were  the  first  Americans  they  had  ever  seen. 

"The  trail  at  best  was  bad,  but  was  rendered 
doubly  so  by  recent  rains,  which  rendered  the  red 
clay  slippery  and  dangerous  even  for  the  sure-footed 
mountain  ponies.  At  one  time  we  would  be  looking 
down  from  a  dizzy  height  at  a  narrow  ribbon  of 
water  in  the  valley  below,  then  would  come  an  al 
most  perpendicular  plunge  down  the  mountain,  over 
slippery  rocks  and  more  slippery  mud,  but  we  soon 
learned  to  put  implicit  confidence  in  our  ponies,  and 
it  was  never  once  betrayed.  Their  sure-footedness 
and  sagacity  was  simply  marvelous.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  mountain  there  would  be  a  rocky  mountain 
stream  swollen  to  twice  its  normal  volume  by  the 
recent  rains.  Beyond  the  trail  would  perhaps  lead 
through  a  half  mile  of  boggy  valley,  then  up  the  side 


282  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

of  the  next  mountain.  This  method  of  travel,  to 
one  accustomed  to  no  more  exciting  mode  of  locomo 
tion  than  a  trolly  or  perhaps  a  cable  car,  was  a  novelty 
to  say  the  least.  But  the  hardships  were  easily  for 
gotten  in  admiration  of  the  beautiful  scenery  which 
was  almost  constantly  spread  out  before  us  in  all  its 
luxuriance  of  tropical  coloring.  The  trip  would 
have  been  a  feast  to  the  eye  of  an  artist,  and  even 
to  tired  soldiers  it  was  ample  compensation  for  pre 
vious  toils  and  hardships. 

"At  Barronchitis  we  were  lodged  with  an  ex- 
Spanish  soldier,  who  helped  us  pass  the  evening  by 
relating  his  experiences  in  the  Spanish  army.  He 
also  introduced  to  us  the  principal  of  the  village 
school,  who  tried  his  best  to  prove  to  us,  from  a  map 
which  he  had,  that  Spain  was  a  larger  country  than 
the  United  States.  Spain  was  made  on  a  large  scale 
and  the  United  States  on  a  small  one,  so  Spain  ap 
peared  to  be  the  larger,  therefore  Spain  was  the 
larger.  'Quod  erat  demonstrandum.'  We  were 
ready  bright  and  early  the  next  morning  to  continue 
the  journey,  all  having  been  provided  with  ponies  or 
burros  by  the  obliging  alcalde.  Nothing  startling  oc 
curred  on  the  trip  to  Barros,  where  we  arrived  in  the 
evening  and  were  given  an  enthusiastic  welcome  by 
the  men  of  the  Third  Wisconsin,  whom  we  were  to 
relieve. 

"We  found  Barros  to  be  a  pretty  little  place, 
nestling  in  a  valley  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
mountains.  A  clear,  cool  stream  flowed  almost 
through  the  town,  affording  excellent  facilities  for  an 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  288 

early  morning  bath.  Our  short  stay  here  was  our 
best  experience  on  the  island.  The  inhabitants,  from 
the  alcalde  down,  did  their  best  to  entertain  the 
Americans,  and  many  were  the  warm  friendships 
formed  in  that  short  stay,  and  I  fear  the  eyes  of  sev 
eral  fair  'senoritas'  were  dim  when  we  marched  away. 
We  had  special  reason  to  remember  Don  Pedro 
Arroyo  and  his  charming  wife,  at  whose  house  we 
spent  many  a  pleasant  evening. 

"Truly  our  lot  was  cast  in  pleasant  places,  but 
it  was  decreed  that  it  should  be  but  for  a  short  time. 
One  day,  after  we  had  been  there  about  one  week, 
a  detachment  of  the  First  Kentucky  Mounted  In 
fantry  rode  into  town  to  relieve  us.  The  Kentuck- 
ians  were  whole-souled  fellows  from  Louisville,  and 
we  spent  several  very  enjoyable  days  with  them. 

"We  left  Barros  by  way  of  the  Coamo  trail, 
which,  if  anything,  is  worse  than  the  other,  but  the 
day  was  fine,  our  ponies  good  and  the  scenery  fully 
as  fine  as  any  we  had  seen.  At  one  place  we  could 
see  both  the  Carribean  sea  and  the  Atlantic  ocean 
on  the  south  and  north,  and  on  the  east  Aibonito  fully 
twenty  miles  away.  At  another  place,  as  we  wound 
down  the  mountain  the  end  man  was  fully  one  hun 
dred  feet  above  the  lieutenant,  who  was  in  front,  and 
almost  perpendicularly  below. 

"At  Coamo  our  wagons  awaited  us  and  carried  us 
to  Aibonito,  where  we  arrived  late  at  night  of  the 
same  day.  At  Aibonito  the  rumor  was  rife  that  we 
were  going  home,  but  it  was  several  days  before 
final  orders  arrived.  We  were  ready  when  they  did 


284  THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

arrive  and  started  almost  immediately,  with  mixed 
feelings  of  joy  and  sorrow  at  leaving  that  beautiful 
town.  We  arrived  at  Cayey  on  our  return  trip,  and 
marched  through  the  town  with  the  precision  of 
dress  parade,  without  a  straggler.  This  was  all  the 
result  of  a  little  wholesome  food.  The  march  from 
Cayey  to  Caguas  was  made  with  equal  facility. 
There  we  joined  headquarters  and  were  once  more 
&  part  of  the  Fourth  Ohio. 

"Company  K  lost  six  men  by  death  while  it  was 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States.  Read,  Randolph 
and  Vertner  were  buried  at  sea.  Lawson's  grave  is 
at  Fort  McPherson,  Ahem  is  buried  in  the  national 
-cemetery  at  Chattanooga  and  Ferris  lies  in  the  ceme 
tery  at  Guayama,  Porto  Rico.  We  were  only  present 
at  the  burial  of  Ferris  and  Vertner,  but  the  image 
of  each  one  of  the  six  is  engraven  deep  in  the  heart 
of  every  member  of  Company  K,  and  years  hence, 
as  we  gather  around  our  social  camp  fires,  their  simple 
virtues  and  acts  of  comradeship  will  be  sweet  mem 
ories." 

COMPANY  F  AT  CAYEY. 

The  service  of  F  Company  at  Cayey  was  at 
tended  with  considerable  interest  on  the  part  of  both 
the  citizens  of  the  town  and  of  the  members  of  the 
company.  The  stay  at  this  station  was  from  October 
7th,  when  the  company  relieved  a  detachment  of  the 
Third  Wisconsin  and  raised  the  American  flag  as 
described  in  another  chapter.  There  were  included 
in  the  district  of  Cayey  the  towns  of  Barranquitaa 
and  Ceidras. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  28& 

On  October  8th,  1898,  Sergeant  K.  E.  Hull  and 
nine  men  went  over  the  mountain  to  Ceidras,  the 
road  being  so  bad  and  the  rivers  so  swollen  by  rain, 
that  while  the  town  was  only  four  miles  distant 
from  Cayey,  they  had  to  go  twelve  miles  and  ride 
native  ponies,  having  a  guide  to  show  them  the  way. 
While  in  Ceidras  Sergeant  Hull  found  the  city  ad 
ministration  in  a  very  bad  way,  and  acting  under 
instructions  elected  a  new  city  council  of  twelve  men, 
two  new  judges  and  a  vice  mayor,  and  readjusted  the 
revenues  so  that  they  would  be  more  properly  dis 
tributed.  Formerly  they  were  being  devoted  en 
tirely  to  the  salaries  of  those  in  power.  This  detach 
ment  remained  at  Ceidras  until  October  19th,  when 
a  detachment  of  the  First  Kentucky,  mounted,  re 
lieved  them,  and  they  returned  to  Cayey. 

On  October  9th  Lieutenant  Harry  Graham  and 
ten  men  were  sent  to  occupy  Barranquitas.  They 
also  had  to  resort  to  pack  ponies,  as  the  roads  were 
impassable  for  wagons.  Everything  was  quiet  at 
this  point.  The  detachment  remained  until  October 
19th,  when  they  were  relieved  by  the  First  Kentucky 
Mounted  Infantry,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Freid- 
enhimer.  They  then  returned  to  Cayey. 

The  mayor  of  Cayey  and  Captain  Potter  ex 
changed  visits  and  worked  in  unison,  the  mayor  doing 
willingly  everything  that  was  required.  The  town 
itself  was  prosperous  enough,  being  the  center  of  the 
best  tobacco  district  on  the  island,  but  the  main  plaza, 
streets  and  jail  were  in  bad  shape. 


28G  THE    FOURTH     O.     V.     I. 

Captain  Potter  told  the  mayor  that  this  must 
all  be  changed  at  once,  and  before  the  company  left 
everything  was  in  good  condition. 

On  October  18th  Captain  Lindsay  and  his  com 
pany  (F,  First  Kentucky  Infantry),  relieved  the  de 
tachment. 

One  event  which  for  a  time  cast  a  gloom  over 
what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  most  delightful 
tour  of  duty,  was  the  attempt  upon  the  life  of  Second 
Lieutenant  Nathan  A.  McCoy.  Wliile  the  assail 
ants  failed  of  their  evident  purpose  of  killing  the 
lieutenant,  they  succeeded  in  inflicting  several  pain 
ful  wounds  and  in  creating  far  more  excitement  than 
they  had  anticipated.  The  story  of  this  affair  as 
related  by  Captain  Potter  is  as  follows: 

"On  October  23,  at  9  p.  m.,  Lieutenant  K  A. 
McCoy,  who  was  acting  as  post  quartermaster  and 
commissary,  was  returning  from  the  bakery,  where 
he  had  been  arranging  for  fresh  bread  for  the  follow 
ing  day.  He  stopped  to  look  in  a  store  on  the  corner 
of  the  main  plaza,  when  three  men  quietly  stopped 
behind  him.  One  suddenly  struck  him  a  hard  blow 
on  the  head  with  a  heavy  club.  As  the  lieutenant 
fell,  another  struck  him  on  the  shoulder  and  arm. 
He  fell,  half  dazed,  to  the  ground.  It  happened  that 
two  of  the  company  were  in  the  store,  and  ran  to  his 
assistance  as  he  fell.  The  men  who  assaulted  him  at 
once  made  good  their  escape. 

"Lieutenant  McCoy  was  brought  to  the  barracks, 
covered  with  blood,  but  Steward  Hitter  at  once  air 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  287 

tended  his  injuries  and  in  a  few  moments  he  told  us 
all  he  knew  about  the  assault. 

"I  took  twenty-four  men,  put  twelve  under  Cor 
poral  Lindsay  and  took  twelve  myself,  and  started 
for  the  town.  We  arrested  every  suspicious  looking 
person  we  saw  and  by  4  a.  m.,  by  the  aid  of  an  in 
terpreter,  had  secured  one  of  the  men  who  committed 
the  assault.  Early  the  next  morning  we  arrested  the 
other  two  and  placed  them  all  in  jail.  For  the  next 
two  days  there  was  considerable  excitement  in  the 
town  and  we  had  to  double  the  guards  and  have  a 
heavy  guard  at  the  jail,  but  the  excitement  subsided 
when  they  saw  that  we  meant  business,  and  we  had  no 
further  trouble  of  any  kind. 

"We  had  just  secured  evidence  enough  to  con 
vict  the  suspected  parties  when  we  were  ordered 
away,  so  the  men  were  sent  to  Guayama  and  turned 
•over  to  the  provost  guard  there  for  trial.  I  preferred 
charges  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  but  have  never 
heard  how  the  trial  came  out. 

"It  was  intimated  to  Lieutenant  McCoy  and 
myself  that  the  men  were  hired  by  Spanish  sympa 
thizers  to  kill  any  American  officer  whom  they  could 
find  alone  or  unprotected." 

On  October  27th  final  orders  were  received  to 
turn  over  the  town  and  all  the  military  stores  at 
that  place  belonging  to  the  government,  and  the 
detached  squad  and  battalion  having  returned  to 
Cayey,  the  company  proceeded  to  Caguas  to  join  what 
was  left  of  the  regiment.  Caguas  was  reached  about 
'dark  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  and  the  next 


288  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

morning  the  company  started  to  Eio  Piedras,  cover 
ing  the  distance  in  good  time,  but  in  one  of  the  hard 
est  rains  that  were  experienced  in  the  island. 

COMPANY  B  DETACHED. 

Company  B  was  composed  of  the  kind  of  men 
who  insisted  on  doing  a  part  of  any  work  in  sight. 
It  was  one  of  the  first  companies  ordered  to  the  firing 
line  before  Guayama  on  August  5  and  the  first  com 
pany  to  be  ordered  to  provost  duty.  It  was  B  Com 
pany  that  defended  the  captured  town  from  the  north 
east  to  hold  the  bridge  across  Guayama  creek,  a  short 
distance  out  the  military  road  from  Guayama. 

Although  the  company  was  not  detached  in  the 
strict  sense  of  the  word  at  Guayama,  its  tour  of  pro 
vost  duty  was  performed  under  the  immediate  super 
vision  of  General  Haines  and  Captain  White.  Their 
next  detachment  was  an  execution  of  an  order  to  raise 
the  American  flag  over  the  town  of  Gurabo,  about 
six  miles  from  Caguas.  This  was  a  hard  march, 
over  a  difficult  mountain  road,  mud  to  wade,  hills  to 
climb  and  streams  to  cross,  but  the  trip  was  a  suc 
cessful  one  and  the  Spanish  emblem  which  once 
marked  the  allegiance  of  the  town  was  brought  back 
to  Columbus  by  Captain  White. 

The  American  flag  was  hoisted  above  Gurabo 
October  13,  and  on  October  15,  at  7:40  a.  m.,  the 
company  started  for  Rio  Piedras  to  take  charge  of  the 
town.  The  headquarters  of  the  United  States  forces 
in  Porto  Rico  had  been  here  and  Captain  Wliite  had 
the  distinguished  experience  of  relieving  a  major 


FLAG'  RAISING    AT    CURABO. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     T.     I.  289 

general  when  General  Brooke  turned  over  the  town. 

Rio  Piedras,  considering  its  size,  was  the  wealth 
iest  town  in  the  island.  It  was  six  miles  from  the 
capital,  with  which  it  was  connected  by  the  military 
road  and  by  the  Kio  Piedras  and  San  Juan  railway. 
Many  wealthy  people  resided  there  and  there  were 
several  beautiful  residences,  the  finest  of  which,  per 
haps,  was  the  governor  general's  palace.  There  were 
several  comfortable  cafes  where  ices  and  beverages 
were  served  and  where  beef  steak  or  potatoes  were 
prepared  without  either  the  use  of  olive  oil  or  garlic.. 

The  town  was  eminently  Spanish  in  all  its  sym 
pathies  and  practically  under  Spanish  control,  nearly 
all  the  municipal  officials  having  received  their  ap 
pointments  in  return  for  favors  shown  the  Castilian 
crown  or  its  supporters.  These  were  promptly  re 
moved  and  the  vacancies  filled  with  the  better  class 
of  Portoriquenos,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
islanders. 

The  boys  of  Company  B  and  the  natives  of  Rio 
Piedras  were  at  all  times  on  very  good  terms,  and 
there  was  no  occasion  during  the  stay  of  the  com 
pany  for  a  clash  between  soldiers  and  citizens. 

The  company  remained  there  until  the  regiment 
had  been  ordered  to  the  United  States  and  a  company 
of  the  Forty-seventh  New  York  had  taken  charge  of 
the  town.  Instead  of  boarding  the  train  rrith  the 
first  provisional  battalion  for  San  Juan,  the  company 
marched  over  the  military  road  and  reported  for  re 
assignment  next  day.  This  made  B  company  the 
only  one  which  really  marched  across  the  island,  from 
ll>  (Y.rilffir  ^-a  to  the  Atlantic  ocean. 


290  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


HOME  AGAIN. 

Orders  to  Leave — Preparation — Arrival  of  Forty-seventh 
New  -York— U.  S.  S.  S.  Chester  at  Arroyo — At  San 
Juan — Leaving  the  Island — Advantages  and  Disad 
vantages  of  the  Chester — The  Homeward  Voyage — 
Death  of  Private  Vertner — Arrival  at  New  York — 
Jersey  City — Received  by  the  President — To  Colum 
bus  • —  Reception  —  Furlough — Assembly — Accident  at 
Auditorium — Muster  Out — Concluding  Remarks. 

While  the  boys  at  their  respective  stations  were 
watching  and  waiting  for  orders  to  go  home,  Colonel 
Coit,  at  Caguas,  received  official  information  that  his 
regiment  would  be  relieved  by  the  Forty-seventh  New 
York.  He  was  instructed  as  to  the  turning  over  of 
government  property  and  other  details  were  given  in 
such  an  exacting  manner  that  the  boys  of  the  regi 
ment  were  satisfied  that  the  time  for  them  to  return 
to  their  homes  was  not  far  distant.  Their  hopes  were 
confirmed  when  one  fine  morning  in  the  latter  part 
of  October  the  U.  S.  S.  S.  Chester  appeared  in  the  har 
bor  at  Arroyo  with  the  greater  part  of  the  Forty- 
seventh  New  York  on  board. 

The  news  spread  as  rapidly  as  telegraph  and 
horses  could  spread  it,  and  long  before  noon  every 
man  in  the  regiment  knew  that  his  stay  in  Porto  Rico 
would  be  short  from  that  time  on.  Everybody  was 
happy  accordingly.  In  fact  the  joy  of  the  members 
,.of  the  regiment  knew  no  bounds.  Everything  was- 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  291 

from  that  day  a  hasty  preparation  and  the  regiment 
was  ready  as  to  packing  up  and  bidding  good-by  to 
the  natives  long  before  the  Chester  was  ready  to  leave 
Arroyo.  It  was  announced  that  the  boat  which  had 
transported  the  New  York  regiment  to  the  island 
would  also  be  used  to  take  the  Fourth  Ohio  home. 

A  and  E  companies  boarded  the  vessel  as  soon  as 
everything  was  in  readiness,  but  they  found  the  ship 
to  be  in  a  horrible  condition  with  dirt  and  filth. 
This  condition  of  affairs  was  at  once  reported  to 
Colonel  Coit,  who  at  once  objected  to  the  use  of  the 
ship  for  the  transportation  of  the  regiment  on  the 
long  voyage  to  the  states.  His  objection  did  no 
further  use  except  to  secure  the  promise  that  the  ship 
would  be  thoroughly  cleansed  before  starting  for 
New  York,  the  place  designated  for  landing.  The 
ship  was  thoroughly  cleaned,  but  the  work  was  per 
formed  by  details  from  the  companies  of  the  Fourth 
Ohio. 

As  soon  as  the  companies  at  Guayama  were  re 
lieved  by  the  JSTew  Yorkers  the  Ohio  boys  boarded  the 
vessel  and  she  steamed  on  down  the  coast  to  Hamacoa, 
where  D  Company  was  relieved  and  taken  on.  Then 
M  Company  was  picked  up  at  Isabel  Segunda  and  the 
Chester  proceeded  to  Fajardo,  where  I  Company  was 
relieved  and  taken  on  board,  after  which  the  Chester 
continued  the  trip  around  the  island  to  San  Juan, 
where  she  arrived  on  October  27th. 

In  the  meantime  F  Company  at  Cayey,  K  at 
Aibonito  and  the  detachment  of  H  Company  at 
Aguas  Bpenos  had  assembled  at  Caguas  and 


292  TUB     FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 

joined  by  B  Company  at  Rio  Piedras,  had  reached 
San  Juan  on  the  evening  of  October  28th.  These 
companies,  except  B,  had  been  temporarily  relieved 
by  the  First  Kentucky.  L  Company  at  Carolina  had 
gone  to  San  Juan  also  and  the  regiment  was  again 
intact.  The  night  at  San  Juan  was  spent  in  an  old 
shed  just  outside  the  city,  but  no  regular  camp  waa 
established  and  the  men  were  permitted  to  spend  the 
night  where  and  how  they  pleased.  There  were 
numerous  restaurants  in  the  city,  and  as  the  men  still 
had  a  supply  of  cash,  there  was  no  suffering  on  ac 
count  of  lack  of  provisions. 

The  crew  of  the  Chester  completed  the  renova 
tion  of  the  ship  during  the  night  and  the  next  morn 
ing,  when  the  loading  of  baggage  was  begun.  San 
Juan  was  interesting  to  the  boys,  especially  the  de 
fenses  of  the  city  and  the  effect  of  the  bombardment 
by  the  American  fleet  in  July.  All  the  places  of 
interest  were  visited,  so  that  at  first  the  quartermast 
er's  department  could  not  get  men  to  load  the  bag 
gage.  Captain  Vincent  and  Captain  Potter  came  to 
the  rescue,  however,  and  details  were  soon  secured 
and  the  horses  and  baggage  were  loaded  in  quick 
time.  The  regiment  itself  did  not  board  the  vessel 
until  about  4  p.  m.,  although  the  Chester  had  been 
under  orders  to  sail  at  noon. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  the  Chester  weighed 
anchor  and  steamed  out  of  the  harbor.  The  U.  S. 
S.  S.  Newark,  one  of  the  strongest  vessels  in  the  navy, 
was  stationed  in  the  harbor,  and  when  the  Chester 
began  to  move  toward  the  bay,  the  band  on  the 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  293 

Newark  played  "Home  Sweet  Home."  This  compli 
ment  was  answered  by  a  cheer  from  the  men  and  a 
selection  from  the  Fourth  Ohio  band,  when  the' 
Newark  played  another  tune,  answered  by  "Yankee 
Doodle"  by  the  Ohio  band.  Cheer  after  cheer 
was  exchanged  by  the  representatives  of  the  army  and 
navy,  and  with  the  firing  of  salutes,  the  tooting  of 
whistles  and  the  ringing  of  bells,  the  Chester  steamed 
slowly  out  the  harbor  to  the  bay  and  turned  her 
course  toward  New  York. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  the  Chester  reached  the 
open  sea  and  the  dim  lights  from  the  city  gave  the 
general  view  of  the  island  where  the  boys  had  seen 
so  much  hard  service,  a  sort  of  spectral  appearance, 
exactly  in  keeping  with  the  final  impression  of  Porto 
Rico  and  Porto  Bicans  in  the  minds  of  most  of  the 
men. 

The  voyage  to  New  York  was  less  comfortable 
in  some  respects  and  more  comfortable  in  others  than 
the  voyage  on  the  St.  Paul  had  been.  There  wa* 
less  room  on  the  Chester  and  quarters  were  not  BO 
comfortable,  but  better  provision  had  been  made  for 
rations  and  cooking,  and  the  men  were  supplied  with 
warm  meals.  The  weather  was  fine  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  voyage,  but  a  storm  came  up 
during  the  third  night  out  and  those  members  of  the 
band  and  non-commissioned  staff  and  some  of  the 
members  of  the  companies  who  had  slept  on  the 
decks  were  compelled  to  seek  shelter  inside.  All  the 
available  room  had  already  been  taken  up,  but  the 
men  who  had  not  been  assigned  to  any  particular 


294  TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

part  of  the  ship,  appropriated*  the  halls  and  compan 
ion  ways  for  their  quarters.  This  was  objected  to  by 
the  quartermaster  of  the  vessel,  but  Colonel  Coit  in 
sisted  that  those  men  would  remain  there  and  they 
did.  Some  slept  in  the  dining  room,  and  others 
in  the  halls  and  passage  ways,  wherever  they  could 
find  space  enough  to  lie  down.  The  officers  were 
crowded  into  small  state  rooms  and  they  were  not 
much  more  comfortably  situated  than  the  men. 

The  only  occurrence  to  mar  the  pleasure  of  the 
voyage  from  San  Juan  was  the  sudden  death  of  Al 
bert  L.  Vertner  of  K  Company.  The  young  man 
had  not  been  feeling  well,  and  the  hospital  force  had 
prescribed  what  seemed  to  be  the  proper  treatment, 
but  their  efforts  were  in  vain  and  the  young  man  died 
almost  in  sight  of  his  native  land. 

The  remains  were  buried  at  sea  and  the  occasion 
was  given  all  the  honor  that  could  be  bestowed  under 
the  circumstances.  Yertner  was  a  popular  member 
of  the  company  and  the  death  was  a  shock  to  all  ite 
officers  and  men. 

The  first  time  land  was  sighted  after  the  Chester 
had  left  San  Juan  was  on  the  afternoon  of  November 
2nd,  when  the  hills  and  steeples  of  the  United  State* 
again  came  into  view.  There  was  very  little  to  see 
and  nothing  to  make  out,  but  when  the  boys  realized 
that  they  were  once  more  in  sight  of  their  native  land 
they  nearly  went  wild  with  glee. 

The  band  played  "America,"  "Hail  Columbia" 
find  other  national  airs,  and  the  regiment  answered 
with  cheers.  Everybody  on  the  vessel  strained 


THE     FOVRTil     O.     V.     I.  295 

every  nerve  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  land  they  loved 
so  well  and  all  was  excitement  on  board  the  Chester 
for  the  remainder  of  the  day. 

Passing  Sandy  Hook,  the  Chester  steamed  on  up 
the  harbor  until  dark,  when  she  cast  anchor  until  a 
pilot  boarded  her,  to  direct  the  way  to  the  quarantine 
station.  The  boys  were  a  little  disappointed  at  hav 
ing  to  remain  on  the  ship  another  night,  but  the  as 
surance  that  it  was  the  last  one  quieted  their  unrest. 
An  effort  was  made  to  secure  permission  for  some  of 
the  officers  to  go  ashore  before  morning,  but  this 
could  not  be  done  on  account  of  the  rules  of  the 
quarantine. 

When  the  boys  woke  up  on  the  morning  of  the 
3rd  they  could  not  see  from  one  side  of  the  vessel  to 
the  other.  A  dense  fog  had  collected  in  the  harbor 
and  fears  began  to  be  entertained  that  another  day 
would  have  to  be  spent  on  the  ship,  and  the  dissatis 
faction  that  was  created  by  this  idea  can  easily  be 
imagined.  Finally,  about  8  o'clock,  a  quarantine 
officer  boarded  the  Chester  and  made  a  thorough  in 
spection  of  the  ship.  He  found  the  vessel  in  an 
elegant  condition  considering  the  large  number  of 
passengers,  horses  and  baggage  she  contained,  so  per 
mission  was  quickly  granted  to  land.  The  fog  pre 
vented  a  landing,  however,  and  all  that  could  be 
done  was  for  the  Chester  to  proceed  further  up  the 
harbor,  where  she  waited  near  the  base  of  the  Statue 
of  Liberty  for  the  fog  to  disappear.  Captain  Dona- 
vin  and  several  other  members  of  the  regiment  went 
ashore  with  the  quarantine  officer,  loaded  down  with 


2%  TEE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

messages  from  the  soldiers  to  their  families  and 
friends  at  home,  announcing  the  arrival  of  the  regi 
ment  in  New  York. 

The  fog  did  not  disappear  until  afternoon  and 
the  work  of  unloading  was  not  completed  until  al 
most  evening.  It  was  almost  night  when  the 
regiment  touched  land  at  Jersey  City,  all  the  baggage 
and  all  the  men  having  been  taken  off  the  Chester  by 
a  large  ferry  boat.  A  train  of  three  sections  was  in 
waiting  at  the  depot  at  Jersey  City,  but  the  train 
did  not  leave  there  until  about  midnight  the  night  of 
October  3rd.  During  the  wait  in  Jersey  City  the 
boys  were  given  the  liberty  of  the  town,  and  nearly 
all  of  them  made  a  visit  across  the  river  to  New  York, 
where  they  did  just  what  would  be  expected — bought 
the  largest  meal  they  could  find.  Beef  steak,  oysters, 
butter,  fresh  bread  that  was  made  to  be  eaten,  pie, 
red  apples  and  the  thousand  and  one  things  that  had 
been  wanted,  but  which  could  not  be  obtained  in 
Porto  Rico,  were  gathered  together  in  baskets,  bags 
and  stomachs  in  quantities  that  under  ordinary  cir 
cumstances  would  have  fed  an  entire  army  for  a 
week.  A  committee  of  Columbus  gentlemen,  repre 
senting  the  citizens  of  central  Ohio,  had  come  to 
New  York  to  meet  the  regiment  at  the  moment  it 
reached  American  soil  and  to  extend  to  them  a  hearty 
welcome.  This  compliment  was  more  than  the  of 
ficers  or  men  had  anticipated,  and  it  was  accordingly 
appreciated.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Adams,  who  had 
left  the  island  from  Guayama  on  leave  of  absence, 
came  to  New  York  from  his  home  in  Delaware  to 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  297 

greet  his  comrades  and  to  again  share  with  them  the 
joy 3  or  sorrows  of  the  few  remaining  days  of  absence 
from  home.  The  gentlemen  who  had  met  the  regi 
ment  as  a  committee  of  greeting  were  Messrs.  Buck- 
master,  Miller,  Donavin,  Helwagen,  Thrall  and 
Hilling.  Mr.  Buckmaster  was  a  railroad  man,  and 
being  one  of  the  warmest  friends  of  the  regiment  in 
Ohio,  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  assure  the  safety  and 
comfort  of  the  men  on  the  homeward  trip.  Captain 
Thrall  had  a  special  interest  in  the  regiment,  having 
come  to  greet  his  son,  who  acted  in  the  capacity  of 
regimental  clerk  until  the  regiment  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service.  The  other  gentlemen  had  been 
active  also  in  securing  orders  for  the  return  of  the 
regiment  to  the  United  States,  and  they  naturally 
felt  an  interest  in  seeing  that  the  boys  had  a  good 
time  after  they  were  once  in  the  limits  of  the  United 
States. 

This  was  but  the  beginning  of  the  hearty  recog 
nition  of  the  service  performed  by  the  regiment.  At 
every  station  on  the  way  from  New  York  to  Colum 
bus  crowds  gathered  at  the  railway  stations  to  extend 
greetings. 

The  stay  at  Jersey  City,  although  but  eight 
hours,  made  many  more  friends  for  the  Fourth  Ohio. 
Several  other  regiments  had  landed  at  that  place  after 
foreign  service  and  the  first  thing  they  had  done 
when  they  reached  the  place  was  to  indulge  in  all  the 
intoxicants  the  place  afforded.  They  were  noisy  and 
ungentlemanly  and  their  action  in  the  city  and  in 
the  vicinity  was  anything  but  becoming  the  conduct 


298  THE    FOURTH     0.     J.     I. 

of  an  American  soldier.  In  marked  contrast  to  this 
conduct  the  members  of  the  Ohio  regiment  con 
ducted  themselves  after  the  fashion  of  the  gentlemen 
they  were,  and  this  conduct  at  once  earned  the  ad 
miration  of  the  officers  and  citizens  of  the  entire  city. 
The  contrast  was  the  subject  of  favorable  comment 
in  the  New  York  papers  the  following  day. 

Leaving  Jersey  City  about  midnight,  the  regi 
ment  went  over  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  railway  to 
Washington,  where  they  arrived  shortly  after  day 
light,  and  where  the  command  was  accorded  an  honor 
which  had  not  been  extended  to  any  other  regiment 
in  the  service.  As  soon  as  breakfast  had  been 
served,  the  regiment  was  formed  and  following  an 
escort  of  mounted  policemen,  marched  to  the  White 
House,  where  it  passed  in  review  before  President 
McKinley  and  a  number  of  other  prominent  gov 
ernment  officials.  After  passing  the  reviewing 
stand,  the  veranda  at  the  White  House,  the  regiment 
marched  to  the  street,  where  arms  were  stacked  and 
left  under  guard  while  the  refitment  returned  to  the 
executive  mansion  to  be  received  by  the  president. 
Here  the  head  of  the  American  government  paid  a 
high  tribute  to  the  service  of  the  regiment,  and  feeling 
thus  greatly  honored,  the  boys  returned  to  the  rail 
way  station  to  resume  the  journey  home. 

Leaving  Washington  about  5  o'clock,  the  trains 
bearing  the  regiment  passed  through  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  Maryland,  and  bounding  across  the 
Allegheny  mountains,  reached  the  Ohio  line  about 
daylight.  When  the  boys  found  themselves  on 


THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     7.  29£ 

Buckeye  soil  once  more  they  hardly  >knew  how  to  act. 
Some  cheered,  some  sang  songs  and  some  wept  for 
joy.  "I  knew  the  moment  we  crossed  the  river," 
said  one  fellow,  "by  the  air  I  was  breathing."  It 
was  indeed  a  proud  moment  for  every  member  of  the 
command,  but  nothing  as  compared  to  the  arrival  in 
Columbus.  The  weather  was  chilly,  and  having  just 
come  from  a  land  where  frost  is  unknown,  and  being 
dressed  accordingly,  the  cold  had  a  rather  bad  effect 
on  the  health  of  the  men,  but  in  marked  contrast  to 
the  position  of  the  mercury,  the  reception  extended 
to  the  regiment  by  the  people  of  Columbus  was  cer 
tainly  "warm."  Great  crowds  of  people  had  come 
to  the  railroad  to  get  glimpses  of  their  friends  or  rela 
tives  as  soon  as  they  set  foot  in  the  capital  of  their 
native  state. 

The  train  from  ISTew  York  had  been  run  in  three 
eections  and  as  soon  as  the  entire  train  had  reached 
Columbus  the  regiment  was  formed  and  with  an 
escort  of  all  the  civic  and  military  organizations  of 
Columbus,  made  a  tour  of  the  city,  passing  in  review 
before  Governor  Bushnell.  A  more  extensive 
demonstration  was  never  seen  in  the  capital  city  than 
that  in  honor  of  the  return  of  the  Fourth  Ohio.  The 
parade  was  dismissed  at  the  Columbus  Auditorium 
and  the  regiment  was  then  marched  inside,  where 
there  was  in  waiting  for  them  a  grand  feast,  prepared 
by  the  citizens  of  Columbus.  After  enjoying  lunch 
the  entire  command  was  dismissed,  the  members  of 
the  Columbus  battalion  going  immediately  to  their 
homes  and  the  companies  of  the  other  b.  ttalions  tak- 


300  THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     I. 

ing  first  trains  out  of  the  city  for  their  respective 
home  towns.  At  Washington  Court  House,  Marion, 
Portsmouth,  Lancaster,  Delaware,  Mt.  Yernon  and 
Oircleville,  demonstrations  similar  to  those  at  Co 
lumbus,  but  on  smaller  scales,  were  made,  and  every 
man  in  the  regiment  was  given  a  most  sincere  wel 
come.  A  furlough  of  sixty  days  was  granted  to  all 
the  members  of  the  regiment  except  the  surgeons, 
adjutant,  quartermr  ;ter,  commissary  and  ordnance 
officers,  who  were  on  duty  at  the  Auditorium  in  Co 
lumbus  during  the  entire  time  of  the  furlough. 

On  January  5th,  after  the  regiment  had  reached 
home  on  November  6th,  the  command  was  again  as 
sembled  and  remained  at  the  capital  until  the  19th 
of  January,  when  the  final  payment  and  muster  out 
was  made.  During  their  stay  in  Columbus  the  men 
were  comfortably  quartered  at  the  Columbus  Audit 
orium.  Rows  of  bunks  were  constructed  for  sleep 
ing  apartments,  but  the  men  were  permitted  to  go 
elsewhere  if  they  chose.  On  the  first  night  of  the 
stay  in  Columbus  three  tiers  of  bunks  occupied  by 
H,  M  and  E  Companies  collapsed  and  twenty  men 
were  caught  in  the  falling  timbers.  No  lives  were 
lost  and  no  permanent  injury  was  sustained,  but  the 
accident  was  of  such  a  nature  that  it  was  regarded 
almost  a  miracle  that  none  were  killed.  While  in 
Columbus  the  men  were  fed  at  restaurants  and  each 
man  received  three  hot  meals  each  day,  an  experi 
ence  thy  had  not  known  during  all  the  time  they 
were  in  the  service. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /.  301 

While  the  accounts  were  being  made  up  between 
the  accountable  officers  and  the  government  and  be 
tween  the  officers  and  men,  an  order  was  received 
from  Washington  direct  ing  that  the  sum  received  by 
each  enlisteJ  man  as  pay  from  the  State  of  Ohio  for 
the  service  from  April  25th  to  May  9th  be  deducted 
from  the  }  ay  due  him  at  the  time  of  final  settlement 
with  the  government.  This  pay  had  been  received 
while  the  regiment  was  at  Chickamauga  park  and 
the  state  had  filed  an  account  with  the  government 
authorities,  asking  that  the  state  treasury  be  reim 
bursed  for  the  money  expended  in  preparing  for  the 
war.  The  claim  would  have  been  allowed,  but  the 
government  would  have  reimbursed  itself  from  the 
men  themselves,  thus  denying  them  the  sum  allowed 
by  the  state  for  active  service.  This  was  objected  to 
very  vehemently  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the 
regiment  and  their  friends,  and  the  matter  was  only 
settled  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  claim  by  the  state 
authorities,  thus  securing  for  the  men  all  the  pay 
due  them. 

As  soon  as  the  men  received  their  pay  from  the 
two  government  paymasters  at  the  State  House,  they 
were  handed  their  discharges  and  dismissed.  Some 
of  the  officers  who,  having  lost  some  triplicate  re 
ceipt  or  some  insignificant  account  or  technical  docu 
ment  did  not  receive  any  pay  at  the  time  the  men 
were  paid,  but  they  were  discharged  from  the  service. 
As  soon  as  they  were  relieved  from  their  accounta 
bility  to  the  government,  however,  the  money  due 
them  was  promptly  paid. 


302  THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     I. 

With  honorable  discharges  from  an  honorable 
service  in  their  hands,  the  men  were  free  to  go  where 
and  when  they  chose.  Some  of  them  remained  in 
Columbus  several  days,  but  all  soon  returned  to  their 
respective  homes  to  resume  the  citizenship  which  they 
had  temporarily  abandoned.  These  men  had  shown 
by  the  manner  in  which  they  had  performed  every 
-exacting  duty,  that  they  were  made  of  the  stuff  which 
makes  good  citizens  and  that  they  were  of  the  class 
of  men  who  help  dignify  the  laws  of  the  country 
which  they  had  defended. 

The  men  returned  to  the  farm,  to  the  office 
and  to  the  factory,  there  to  follow  the  pur 
suits  which  they  had  chosen  in  the  earlier  part  of 
their  careers.  Many  were  at  once  tendered  the  posi 
tions  which  they  had  occupied  before  they  had  left 
for  the  front,  and  most  of  the  remainder  soon  obtained 
profitable  employment,  but  unfortunately  a  few  were 
compelled  to  seek  many  weeks  before  they  could 
secure  means  to  support  themselves  and  their  families. 

In  the  transformation  from  soldier  to  citizen  the 
Columbus  Board  of  Trade  was  a  valuable  aid.  Its 
secretary,  Mr.  J.  Y.  Bassell,  had  experienced  the 
trials  attending  the  closing  of  a  military  career  and 
he  was  able  and  willing  to  help  the  boys  all  he  could., 
The  Board  of  Trade  had  manifested  a  keen  interest 
in  the  regiment  while  it  was  being  prepared  for  service 
and  after  it  had  taken  up  its  place  in  the  field.  By 
the  energies  of  this  organization,  all  the  field  officers 
of  the  regiment  had  been  presented  with  horses,  and 
while  the  regiment  was  in  Camp  Thomas,  a  beautiful 


THIS     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  303 

stand  of  colors  was  presented  by  the  Board  of  Trade. 
This  flag  was  carried  all  through  the  Porto  Rico 
campaign  and  returned  to  Columbus,  but  not  without 
the  marks  of  battle.  There  are  several  bullet  holes 
in  the  starry  emblem  which  mutely  tell  how  the 
Command  performed  its  duty,  but  there  is  not  a  stain 
on  its  silken  folds  which  tell  of  a  deed  of  which  any 
man  in  the  regiment  or  one  of  its  friends  need  be 
ashamed.  In  return  for  this  flag,  the  Spanish  flag 
which  had  marked  the  allegiance  of  the  city  of 
Guayama  was  given  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  a  present 
from  the  Fourth  Ohio.  There  were  other  friends 
who  watched  the  every  movement  of  the  regiment 
besides  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  the  personal  friends 
or  families  of  the  members  of  the  regiment.  Public 
spirited  men,  who  regarded  every  man  in  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  regiment  as  a  son  or  brother,  were 
ever  watchful  to  supply  every  possible  comfort  which 
the  government  did  not  afford.  Colonel  James  Kil- 
bourne,  Colonel  George  D.  Freeman,  Colonel  Knauss, 
the  W-.  O.  T.  U.  and  many  other  societies  and  .private 
citizens,  did  all  in  their  power  to  make  the  boys  in 
the  field  comfortable,  their  families  at  home  happy 
and  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  all  when  they  re 
turned  to  their  homes.  At  Columbus  the  wives, 
sisters  and  mothers  of  the  boys  formed  themselves 
into  a  society  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  all  the  aid 
they  could,  and  many  were  the  comforts  that  these 
good  women  were  able  to  provide  where  homes  would 
otherwise  have  remained  cheerless. 


304  THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 

The  Fourth  Ohio,  as  it  was  known  in  the  Span 
ish-American  war  has  ceased  its  existence  except  in 
the  hearts  of  those  who  gave  it  and  in  the  pagee  of 
history.  Central  Ohio  was  well  represented  in  this 
effort  and  the  brilliant  record  of  the  Fourth  Ohio 
in  the  Civil  war  was  as  successfully  emulated  as  the 
circumstances  of  the  service  permitted.  A  soldier's 
only  duty  is  to  obey  orders  and  the  Fourth  Ohio  has 
set  an  example  in  this  which  it  will  be  well  for  suc 
ceeding  regiments  to  follow.  The  Fourteenth  In 
fantry  is  still  a  state  organization,  and  if  its  future 
may'  be  judged  by  the  past,  it  will  ever  remain  a 
monument  to  the  valor  of  Ohio's  citizen  soldiery. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.    .  305 


ROSTER 

OF  THB 

FOURTH    O.    V.    I. 


FIELD,    STAFF    AND    NON-COMMISSIONED 
STAFF. 

Colonel Alonzo  B.  Coit 

Lieutenant-Colonel C.  Barton  Adams 

Major John  C.  Speaks 

Major John  F.  Sellers 

Major Charles  V.  Baker 

Surgeon Edward   M.    Semeans 

Assistant  Surgeon Thompson  B.  Wright 

Assistant  Surgeon Henry  M.  Taylor 

Adjutant Mac  Lee  Wilson 

Chaplain James    C.    Shindel 

Quartermaster George  B.  Donavin 

Battalion  Adjutant T.  Perry  Williams 

Battalion  Adjutant Edward  M.  Fullington 

Battalion  Adjutant Harry  W.  Krumm 

Regimental  Sergeant  Major Frank  C.  Radcliffe 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Charles  L.  Taylor 

Chief  Musician Jesse  Worthington 

Principal  Musician Lewis  F.  Lytle 

Principal  Musician  Charles  J.  Rulo 

Principal  Musician George  F.  McDonald 

Hospital  Steward John  W.  Richards 

Hospital  Steward Louis  F.  Ritter 

Hospital  Steward Frank  H.  Burr 

Battalion  Sergeant  Major Charles  W.  Finley 

Battalion   Sergeant  Major Lewis  F.  Philo 

Battalion  Sergeant  Major Charlee  E.   Creager 


30(3 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


BAND. 


Harry  A.  Davis. . . 


Beitler,  Claude  M. 
Brooke,  Philo  R. 
Davie,  J.  B. 
Davies,   David   E. 
Davis,  Shell  P. 
Davis,  Horace  W. 
Dougherty,  Jerome. 
Ebner,  Jacob  C. 
Feeney,  Joseph  L. 
Getz,  Oscar  D. 
Hane,  William  A. 


.Acting  Q.  M.  Sergeant 


PRIVATES. 


Hosfield,  Edwin  J. 
Lilley,  Frank  P. 
McFarland,  William  R. 
McNaughten,  Thomas  R. 
McRae,  William  C. 
Meihlheim,  Leo  C. 
Rorick,   Jonas  M. 
Thomas,  Harry  H. 
Williard,  Ezra  H. 
Zeisler,  Valentine. 


HOSPITAL  CORPS. 

Edward  Steve  Darby Acting   Steward 

Ourry  W.  James Acting  Steward 


Davis,  William  R. 
Dixon,  Charles  A. 
Getz,  John  F. 
Hance,  William  T. 
Judkins,  William  J. 
Kelley,  John  M. 
Moon,  Oliver  C. 


PRIVATES. 


Oglesby,  Nicholas  B. 
Powell,  John  W. 
Pringle,  Leroy. 
Rawley,  Paul  J. 
Sherwood,  Milton  W. 
Stimmell,  John  S. 
Wright  Ed.  M. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  307 


COMPANY  A. 

Captain Joseph   J.    Walsh 

First   Lieutenant Harry   Graham 

First   Lieutenant Clyde   R.   Modie 

Second  Lieutenant Cyrus  W.  Grandstaff 

First  Sergeant William  C.  McConnell 

Q.  M.  Sergeant L.  B.  Andrus 

<3.  M.  Sergeant G.  B.  Kilbourne 

SERGEANTS. 

A.  C.  McGuire.  Ed.  Stalter. 

J.  A.  Auld.  J.  D.  Acker. 

CORPORALS. 

F.  H.  Stevenson.  Harry  Syfert. 

O.  H.  Bonn.  F.  R.  Thrall. 

€.  K.  McClelland.  Emil  Meyer. 

J.  F.  O'Shaughnessy.  G.  E.  Walsh. 

Frank  Graham.  A.  G.  Smith. 

F.  C.  Lockhart.  Jos.  F.  Tate. 

Musicians Preston  Coit,  T.  R.  Wirick 

Artificer M.  P.  Grandstaff 

Wagoner Ollie  E.  Brixner 

PRIVATES. 

Barnes,  P.  M.  Leuze,  C.  M. 

Barnes,  F.  B.  McLaine,  S.  H. 

Beecher,  J.  P.  McClure,  C.  R. 

Bennett,  F.  U.  McMeekin,  Joseph. 

Bergwitz,  W.  E.  Mihan,  M.  M. 

Bright,  W.  S.  Musselman,  Ferry. 

Brown,  W.  S.  Marguardt,  F.  E. 

Buskirk,  T.  M.  Noble,  Otho. 


308 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


Carder,  T.  A. 
Carroll,  Frank. 
Carson,  S.  K. 
Cavinee,  E.  M. 
Chamberlain,  B.  W. 
Chatterton,  T.   H. 
Clawson,  Burnes. 
Cockins,  R.  H. 
Cott,  E.  P. 
Cramer,  H.  H. 
Cunningham,  E.  T. 
Duffy,  Thomas. 
Edgington,  W.  J. 
Evans,  T.  J. 
Ewing,  J.  H. 
Fleck,  J.  S. 
Fleck,  H.  N. 
Ford,  C.  L. 
French,  S.   N. 
Gorley,  Clarence. 
Graham,  J.  A. 
Guitard,  C.  B. 
Hanway,  A.  L. 
Hughey,  C.  F. 
Hummell,  C.  E. 
Jeffrey,  P.  W. 
Johnson,  E.  J. 
Klotts,  E.  P. 
Knouff,  O.  M. 
Lazenby,  C.  B. 
Olds,  J.,  Jr. 


Pangle,  D.  C. 
Patterson,  W.  S. 
Pierce,  C.  O. 
Pirt,  Joseph. 
Price,  Frank  C. 
Reichard,  G.  W. 
Riddle,  Carlton. 
Riffee,  C.  W. 
Romanis,  Edwin. 
Roy,  C.  F. 
Sackett,  L.  A. 
Schertle,  D.  B. 
Schuman,  John. 
Scringer,  A.  L. 
Shearer,  O.  F. 
Sigrist,  C.  F. 
Simms,  Irwin  E. 
Smith,  A.  L. 
Strait,  J.  D. 
Teter,  C.  K. 
Thompson,  W.  H. 
Walker,   John   W. 
Wallace,  H.  D. 
Weadon,  J.  S. 
Webster,  D.  E. 
Wells,  Ellsworth. 
Whitman,  H. 
Whitney,  C.  A. 
Williams,  D.  M. 
Williams,  J.  W. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     /. 


30!) 


COMPANY  B. 

Captain Will  S.  White 

First  Lieutenant Frank   L.   Oyler 

Second  Lieutenant William  B.  Hamill 

First  Sergeant \\  illiam  P.   Stevenson 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Robert  Swigert 


SERGEANTS. 


Frank  G.  Jacokes. 
Frank  T.  Ethell. 


Charles  E.  Bolin. 
John  M.  Conti. 
S.  Perry  Capell. 
Roy  B.  Shook. 
Lewis  M.  Stevenson. 
Joseph  B.  Clemens. 


Charles  A.  Hunt. 
Tilden  T.  Jones. 


CORPORALS. 


Joseph  Davis. 
Charles  R.  Wagner. 
Edward  H.  Smith. 
Frank  E.  Williams. 
Henry  Kaiser. 
Walter  C.  Stout. 


Artificer John    W.    Warman 

Wagoner Fred  Buckingham 

Musician..  ..Herbert   A.   Miller 


PRIVATES. 


Arthur,  Joseph. 
Angell,  Edgar  F. 
Anderson,  William  M. 
Butler,  Wm.  J. 
Brown,  James  W. 
Brown,  Olliver  T. 
Brown,  Charles  F. 
Bold,  Eber  L. 
Bennett,  Charles  C. 
Barr,  Emory  E. 
Cumminns,  Henry  R. 
Coons,  Jasper  N. 


Loudenslager,  Charles  S. 
Long,  Jacob  F. 
Milligan,  Elmer  J. 
Morris,  John  C. 
McDonald,  James  E. 
McDaniels,  Charles  H. 
Morris,  Edward  F. 
Nunamaker,  Norman  C. 
Noel,  William  J. 
Osborn,  David  G. 
O'Harra,  Cornelius  C. 
Robinson,  Morton  W. 


310 


THE    FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 


Coss,  Frank  S. 
Cohn,  William. 
Dally,  Vincent  L. 
Deuel,  Joseph  R. 
Dauterman,  Frank  C. 
Dakin,  Perry  E. 
Elder,  Arlie. 
Farahay,  William  I. 
Gregory,  Charles  F. 
Green,  Elmer  E. 
Graham,  Earl  W. 
Grove,  Frank  E. 
Geis,  Henry. 
Gmbe,  Arthur  F. 
Hedges,  Robert  L. 
Heiman,  Simon. 
Hankee,  Fred. 
Harper,  Martin  A. 
Harrison,  Foster  S. 
Handley,  Moses  E. 
Hopkins,  Harry  H. 
Hayward,  Herbert. 
Ingraham,  Robert  B. 
Keyes,  Edward,  Jr. 
Kessie,  John. 
Kessie,  Fred  C. 
Kuhn,  George  A. 
Lytle,  Andrew  G. 
Lane,  Cory  L. 


Steinel,  Jacob. 
Shuflin,  Harry  W. 
Sines,  James  G. 
Stewart,  Elmer  E. 
Stoker,  Jacob,  jr. 
Shipley,  Clarence  J. 
Shirrey,  Burrell  M. 
Swiger,  William  S. 
Smith,  Charles  A. 
Sponsler,  Charles  E. 
Sperry,  Henry  C. 
Snyder,  Frank. 
Smith,  George  B. 
Thompson,  Robert  C. 
Taylor,  Ralph  W. 
Thrush,  Jesse. 
Trone,  Wood.  C. 
Van  Gilder,  Lewis  H. 
Van  Eaton,  Albert  H. 
Wolfel,  Arthur. 
Watsek,  Adam  E. 
Woolard,  Asa. 
White,  Carey  B. 
Walker,  Arthur  H. 
Wiley,  William  H. 
Willhide,  Melvin  B. 
Woodmansee,  Charles  M. 
Werner,  Edward  J. 
Williams,  Joshua  L. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  311 


COMPANY  C. 

Captain Thomas  R.   Biddle 

Captain Arthur   W.    Reynolds 

First  Lieutenant Arthur  W.  Reynolds 

First  Lieutenant Frank  A.  Alexander 

Second  Lieutenant Frank  A.  Alexander 

Second  Lieutenant Edward  M.  Biddle 

First  Sergeant Edward  M.  Biddle 

First  Sergeant William  E.   Stimmel 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Harry  L.  Barker 

SERGEANTS. 

Paul  Armstrong.  Marvel  W.  Bliss. 

S.  Riley  Harrod.  Charles  D.  Rowland. 

Harry  H.  Nichols. 

CORPORALS. 

Benjamin  F.  Morris.  Frank  C.  Biddle. 

Harry  E.  Eichorn.  Richard  A.  Twaddcl. 

Clinton  C.  Martin.  Otto  F.  Cook. 

Charles  F.  Eastner.  Henry  T.  Helwagen. 

Adam  T.  Renck.  Edwin  Steubenrauch. 

Charles  O.  Schoonoover.  Edward  M.  Slemmons. 

Musicians Charles  F.  Bauer,  Claude  Putnam 

Artificer Lewis   M.   Carter 

Wagoner Samuel    Ford 

PRIVATES. 

Athern,  Clarence.  Minnick,  Robert  T. 

Buehler,  John  W.  Mann,  Allen  D. 

Baehr,  George.  Mayfield,  Victor  H. 

Baehr,  Charles.  Munk,  Andrew  J. 

Balsley,  Lloyd  W.  Mugrage,  Ed. 

Bierhalter,  Joseph.  McCoy,  Lorin. 

Butler  Arza  A.  McLeoid,  Albert  E. 


312 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /. 


Blackburn,  Thomas  F» 
Charles,  William  S. 
Cordner,  John  O. 
Crawford,  John  J. 
Cowley,  Arthur. 
Corwin,  John. 
Croninger,  John. 
Dearth,  Earnest. 
Dent,  Joseph  W. 
Dixson,  Lovett  T. 
Dubois,  Edmond  L. 
Easton,  Fred  L. 
Fix,  Charles  W. 
Groves,  William  P. 
Hickey,  Aaron. 
Haines,  Harry  L. 
Hesley,  Frederick. 
Hook,  John. 
Horlocker,  Noble  W. 
Haniwalt,  John  C. 
Hoover,  Asa. 
Hampton,  Wade. 
Ingersol,  Charles  G. 
Jones,  William. 
Jones,  Samuel  T. 
Kreuz,  Karl. 
Losch,  Joseph. 
Lloyd,  Charles  O. 
Loveland,  Fred. 
Lewis,  Frank  B. 
Molloy,  Theopholis. 
McFarland,  Charles. 


McCalley,  Hiram. 
McClurg,  Charles  B. 
Parsons,  Arthur. 
Renck,  Charles  F. 
Rhodes,  Simeon  A. 
Roberts,  Matthew  S. 
Rodgers,  James  L. 
Ross,  William. 
Rowe,  William  I. 
Spaith,  Edwin  Arthur. 
Shoemaker,  Edward  B.  T. 
Stephens,  Lorin. 
Smith,   Benjamin. 
Smith,  Jesse  F. 
Smith,  Carl  F. 
Southcomb,  Robert  P. 
Steck,  Henry  J. 
Snead,  James. 
Sullivan,  John. 
Taylor,  Charles  K. 
Thomas,  George. 
Thompson,  Harry  R. 
Vetter,  John. 
Whip,  Harry  C. 
Wells,  Ira  E. 
Withers,  Austin  A. 
Wallets,  Frank  B. 
Watzek,  Frank. 
Vvineman,  Glenn  G. 
Yearding,  William  T. 
Yost,  William  J. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  313 


COMPANY  D. 

Captain Charles   P.   Sellers 

First  Lieutenant J.  Richard  Turner 

Second  Lieutenant Frank  H.  Otte 

Second   Lieutenant Abe  Newlove 

P"irst  Sergeant Abe  Newlove 

First  Sergeant Allen  C.  Edson 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Thomas  J.  Alexander 

Q.  M.  Sergeant George  P.  Zwerner 

SERGEANTS. 

Charles  J.  Greene.  William  R.  Kennedy. 

Frank  Mills. 

CORPORALS. 


Charles  Orahood. 

Conrad  Kirchner. 

William  Johnson. 

Will  Saygrover. 

Charles  Ford. 

Joseph  Mullen. 

Elijah  A.  Horr. 

Joseph  Mills. 

Walter  P.   Gregg. 

Arthur  H.  Armine. 

Lewis  Orahood. 

Elmer  Hedges. 

Musicians 

F    Pearl  Taylor    Bertram 

G.  Marls 

Artificer  

John 

Lansdown 

Wagoner  .  . 

.  .Anderson 

Williams 

PRIVATES. 

Armine,  Harry  G.  Lyons,  Charles. 

Anderson,  Willis.  Lee,  Ell  M. 

Alden,  Eujean.  Lower,  Clifton. 

Andrews,  Edward.  Lee,  James. 

Beaver,  James  N.  Mitchell,  Pearl. 

Beaver,  Wassen.  Mathers,  Charles. 

Bartlett,  William.  Martin,  Robert  B. 

Blake,  Layton.  Maris,  Harry. 

Bell,  Joseph  S.  Mills,   Charles. 


314 


THE     FOURTH     0.     T.     I. 


Bradley,  Frank  C. 
Brake,  Holly  O. 
Bishop,  Otto. 
Beck,  James. 
Brown,  Elmer. 
Connell,  Edward. 
Conner,  Thomas. 
Clapham,  Frank. 
Converse,  Harry. 
Clastic,  George. 
Church,  Edward. 
Dines,  William  L. 
Donohoe,  Fred. 
Daugherty,  Benjamin. 
Fisher,  Victor. 
Gosnell,  Otto. 
Greene,  Huitt. 
Goff,  Walter. 
Hush,  George  B. 
Hudson,  Edward. 
Hensley,  Delbert. 
Hinton,  Mack. 
Holycross,  Frank  L. 
Hill,  Samuel. 
Johnson,  Alia. 
Johnson,  Joe. 
Jones,  Allen. 
Jones,  John. 
Kees,  Isaac. 
Lawrence,  Joe. 
Laird,  Charles  M. 
Mullen,  George. 


Moon,  Spencer. 
Martin,  William  S. 
Newlove,  Lute. 
Nelson,  Edward. 
Nelson  Fred  W. 
Otte,  Lewis. 
Orr,  Lee. 
Plotner,  Bert. 
Perry,  Charles  A. 
Phelps,  Earl. 
Rausch,  Will. 
Randall,  Edward. 
Sparks,  Harry. 
Schlegel,  George,  Jr. 
Shetterly,  Carson  B. 
Shetterly,  Joseph  E. 
Smith,  Albert. 
Shuler,  John. 
Sloop,  Artemus. 
Sheridan,  Chester. 
Tway,  Carl. 
Taylor,  Harry  W. 
Turner,  Charles  M. 
Tossey,  Defro. 
Vail,  Reuben. 
Williams,  William. 
Weber,  Walter. 
Webb,  Luther. 
Wise,  William  F. 
Walcut,  William. 
Williams,  Charles  F. 


THE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  315 


COMPANY   E. 

Captain William  L.  Vincent 

First  Lieutenant Charles  O.  Updyke 

Second   Lieutenant James   M.   Fugate 

i 

First  Sergeant Charles  E.  Stogdon 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Charles  E.  Jarnagin 

SERGEANTS. 

Orestus  Hardway.  Charles  L.  Sexton. 

Lohn  Gillum.  Michael  Daily. 

CORPORALS. 

Robert  Bonham.  John  S.  Reeder. 

Henry  D.  Faudree.  John  W.  Cook. 

Lon  Stevenson.  Harvey  W.  Smith. 

L.  S.  Updyke.  Frank  Sammons. 

Herbert  C.  Marquett.  Will  S.  Gray. 
Frank  W.  Potter. 

Musicians Odd  F.  Ott,  William  N.  Eyre 

Artificer  Eugene  Conway 

Wagoner  Charles  Bitzer 

PRIVATES. 

Allebaugh,  Alvin.  Krebs,  Adam. 

Armstrong,  William  C.  Kunz,  Charles. 

Baker,  Morris  O.  Kidd,  Chedister  C. 

Bayse,  W.  H.  Kneisley,  Carey  W. 

Bales  John  A.  Marine,  A.  E. 

Bales,  Howard.  McCormick,   Harvey. 

Bateman,  Frank  M.  Mitchner,  J.  H. 

Beeler,  John  C.  Mercer,  Stewart 

Baker,  Richard  A.  Murphy,  Arthur  L. 

Bellar,  Milt.  McCord,  Elmer  G. 

Brown,  Americus.  McDonald,  James  E. 

Butler,  John  H.  McDonald,  Norman. 


316 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


Cook,  James  F.,  Jr. 
Coft'man,  Nathan  J. 
Coffman,  Elwert. 
Cook,  Scott. 
Creamer,  Michael  S. 
Clemens,  Ramie. 
Cubbage,  Johnson. 
Dawson,  Jacob  H. 
Douglass,  Ed. 
Doddridge,  John  A. 
Daniels,  Tyra  C. 
Davis,  Isaac  C. 
Dearth,  Charles  C. 
Doyle,  Charles  W. 
Ely,  Clyde  B. 
Ervin,  Floyd  D. 
Ford,  Franklin  P. 
Figgins,  Charles  E. 
Flint,  William  E. 
Grass,  John. 
Hardy,  Andrew  J. 
Holcomb,  Hartley  C. 
Haffler,  Harry  P. 
Hall,  Emory  P. 
Harris,  Harry  A. 
Haynes,  William  N. 
Jacobs,  Claude  S. 
Johnson,  John  C. 
Johnson,  Morgan  B. 
Keaton,  James  W. 


Nixon,  John  T. 
Pratt,  Robert. 
Palmer,  Harry  B. 
Pine,  Ward. 
Pricer,  Herbert  L. 
Robb,  John. 
Simms,  French. 
Slonaker,   Galard. 
Shingles,   Arthur  M. 
Smithers,  Lynn  F. 
Shimp,  Burt  O. 
Snapp,  Joseph  E. 
Sams,  William  W. 
Sever,  Frank. 
Smith  Charles  A. 
Smith  Charles. 
Smith,  Ed. 
Sollars,  Emerald  M. 
Taylor,  Jerome. 
Vincent,  Elmer. 
Vincent,  Burten. 
Voss,  Charles  T. 
Walters,  Elie  W. 
Whited,  Benjamin  F. 
Wilt,  Arthur  W. 
Woods,  George  F. 
Wyatt,  James  H. 
West,  Frank  R. 
Wilson,  William  H.,  Jr. 
Welch,   Homer  G. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     /.  317 


COMPANY  F. 

Captain Joseph  D.  Potter 

First  Lieutenant Clyde  R.   Modie 

First  Lieutenant Harry   Graham 

Second  Lieutenant Nathan  A.  McCoy 

First  Sergeant A.  A.  Grimm 

First  Sergeant R.  E.  Hull 

First  Sergeant George  D.  Freeman 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Frank  L.  Thornton 

SERGEANTS. 

Arthur  A.  Grimm.  William  S.  Haley. 

Richard  E.  Hull.  Rowland  Dunlap. 

CORPORALS. 

Arthur  H.  Simons.  Chester  M.  Spurgeon. 

Fred  Wahl.  Frank  D.  Potter. 

Moses  H.  Barlow.  Charles  F.  Bowen. 

Earl  C.  Greenley.  Walter  J.  Modie. 

Lewis  F.  Sage.  John  T.  Seiders. 

David  R.  Sams.  Jackson  Westenhaver. 

William  P.  Markeson.  Alfred  Chapin. 

Musicians John  Keith,  Wm  Crawford,  Lewis  Anderson 

Artificer Horatio  C.  Prittner 

Wagoner  George  Stoneberner 

PRIVATES. 

Barnes,  Robert.  Lydy,  Sam  J. 

Bear,  Edmond.  Meeker,  William  D. 

Blakely,  Worley  S.  Meninngen,  William   P. 

Butler,  Ray.  Merrick,  Medford. 

Creviston,  Lark.  Morris,  John  C. 

Corson,  William.  Michel,  Robert. 

Carroll,  John.  Miller,  Webb. 

Chapin,  Albert.  McConnick,  P.  C. 


318 


TEE    FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


Cromwell,  W.  E. 
Cross,  Fred  J. 
Dennis,  Leroy  G. 
Dixon,  Herbert  D. 
Doke,  Arthur  H. 
Fitzgerald,   Edwin. 
Gibbons,  John. 
Gilliam,  E.  F. 
Grate,  Frank. 
Grove,  Charles  O. 
Gynter,  Albert. 
Giles,  Frank  M. 
Gray,  Meldrum. 
Hess,  Edward. 
Hess,  R.  C. 
Handley,  Scott. 
Hemming,  R.  N. 
Hilf,  Charles  F. 
Hill,  Clyde  W. 
Holmes,  Martin. 
Holmes,  Thomas. 
Ismon,  Ralph  E. 
Jones,  William  R. 
Jones,  Thomas  J. 
Kellar,  John  A. 
Kerr,  Edward  C. 
Right,  Thomas  H. 
Kirkpatrich,  Warden. 
Kneeland,    Arthur   R. 
Kriel,  George. 
Lang,  Edward  J. 
McElvane,  J.  R. 


McKenzie,  W.  A. 
Osborn,  Clyde  W. 
Palm,  James. 
Paraday,  Charles. 
Petry,  August. 
Putman,  Charley. 
Preston,  William  B. 
Ranney,  Jess  F. 
Reynolds,  C.  B. 
Robbins,   Ralph. 
Rodgers,  J.  E. 
Riddlesberger,  William. 
Roberts,  Charles. 
Rhoades,  Lawrence. 
Schrock,  Fred  C. 
Shipley,  Fred  F. 
Sharp,  Howard. 
Smith,  Ralph. 
Snyder,  John  M. 
Snyder,  Edward  F. 
Staley,  Edward. 
Simms,  Edwin  M. 
Shaw,  Leroy. 
Sharp,  J.  R. 
Sharp,  Birdsell. 
Taylor,  Frank  L. 
Taylor,  Thomas  E.,  Jr. 
Tucker,  Albert  E. 
Ulry,  Fred. 
Williamson,  H.  W. 
Yourk,  Mike. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  319 


COMPANY   G. 

Captain Fred  W.  Peters 

First  Lieutenant Fred  S.  Titus 

Second  Lieutenant Thomas  E.  Andrews 

First  Sergeant James  E.  Messenger 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Frank  E.  Lattimore 

SERGEANTS. 

Zed.  E.  Gunder.  Charles  R.  Lattimore. 

James  W.  McMurray.  George  E.  Irvin. 

CORPORALS. 

Will  H.  Hunt.  Wesley  C.  Winters. 

Earnest  Boger.  William  F.  Amrine. 

Nathaniel  J.  Clapper.  Frank  L.  Jordan. 

F.  Charles  Stump.  John  E.  Button. 

Newberry  W.  Wheeler.  Omie  J.  P.  Ward. 

Frank  C.  Stevenson.  Charles  F.  Copeland. 
William  E.  Cleveland. 

Musicians Hary  T.  Love,  John   F.  Snider 

Artificer Robert    L.    Rathell 

Wagoner Harry  T.  Messenger 

PRIVATES. 

Alexander,  Arthur  G.  Maag,  William  A. 

Anderson,  Neal.  MacFadden,  Edward  S. 

Akron,  Pearl  C.  Madden,  John  W. 

Berry,  Frank  C.  Marlow,  George. 

Beichler,  Albert.  Mayes,  Edson  C. 

Bryan,  Harry  E.  McConnell,  Charles. 

Burk,  James  H.  Minard,  Daniel. 

Carey,  Howard  E.  Monnette,  Arthur  A. 

Carroll,  Harry  G.  Midlam,  Carl  O. 

Chapman,  Ross.  Mong,  William  C. 

Couts,  James  H.  Niles,  William  T. 


320 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I. 


Clark,  Robert  B. 
Close,  James  W. 
Coleman,  Rant  R. 
Cornwell,  William  P. 
Cussick,  James  M. 
Day,  Lewis  E. 
Doke,  Henry  C. 
Edwards,  Charles  F. 
Elliott,  Ulysses  G. 
Evans,  Edward  C. 
Evans,  v.illiam. 
Ferrell,  Hershel  C. 
Ferrin,  Guy  T. 
Fields,  Harry  H. 
French,  Arthur  J. 
Glaze,  Charles  W. 
Hessong,  Charles  H. 
Hill,  Josh.  W. 
Hinklin,  Howard  A. 
Houseworth,  Charles  P. 
Howison,  Lee. 
Hubley,  Marion  E. 
Hull,  Hollis. 
Hull,   Zane. 
Irey,  Harley  O. 
Johnson,  William. 
Luethold,  Alfred  S. 
Little,  Frank  M. 


O'Brian,  Thomas  J. 
Parker,  John. 
Padgett,  Frank   O. 
Pierce,  Daniel  B. 
Porter,  Henry  N. 
,Purkey,  George  A. 
Prindle,  James  W. 
Rease,  Joseph. 
Rhoades,  Harry. 
Riddle,  William  W. 
Sharrock,  James. 
Shaffer,  Frank  E. 
Scott,  John  W. 
Shuster,  George. 
Smith,  Marion. 
Smith,  Albert  S. 
Smith,  William  G. 
Snider,  Charles  M. 
Simpson,  Walter  W. 
Spring,  Harry  L. 
Stone,  William. 
Swallen,  Harvey. 
Taugher,  Michael. 
Thomas,  Lloyd  W. 
Thompson,  Robert  L. 
Wickess,  John  L. 
Wolfe,  Finlay. 
Wilson,   John  R. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     L  321 


COMPANY  H. 

Captain Robert  S.   Pritchard 

Captain .< James  W.  Smith 

First  Lieutenant Frank  B.  Pratt 

First  Lieutenant James  W.   Smith 

First  Lieutenant Kinney  P.  Funk 

Second  Lieutenant James  W.  Smith 

Second  Lieutenant Kinney  P.  Funk 

First   Sergeant Forrest  C.    Briggs 

First  Sergeant Russell  C.  Newman 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Charles  C.  Wilhelm 

SERGEANTS. 

Andrew  B.  Foster.  Walter  H.  Trimmer. 

Samuel  Williams.  George  G.  Oldfield. 

CORPORALS. 

Charles  H.  Maguire.  Joseph  C.  Bratt. 

Harvey  M.  Will.  Charles  N.  Reed. 

Denver  Crull.  George  A.  Batterson. 

Asberry  W.  Davidson.  John  L.  McMonigle. 

Byron  D.  Shriver.  William  P.  Reed. 

Charles  S.  Noel.  Floyd  E.  Thurman. 

Artificer Roy  N.  Matthews 

Musician Fred  N.  Armstrong 

Wagoner William   D.   McMonigle 

PRIVATES. 

Alger,  Barry  J.  Kinney,  Clifford  M. 

Alger,  Frank  H.  Kelley,  William  H. 

Anderson,  Preston  H.  Krick,  Isaac. 

Adams,  Harry  E.  Nohl,  Harry  N. 

Andre,  Benjamin.  Masters,  William  A. 

Bybee,  Monte  G.  Mann,  George  F. 

Barber,  Albert  M.  Moore,  George  B. 


322 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 


Bumgardner,  Elton  M. 
Bush,  Francis  M. 
Bush,  Thomas  J. 
Bush,  Matthew. 
Boren,  Elmer  S. 
Barr,  Charles. 
Bennet,  David  P. 
Birmingham,  John. 
Calvert,  Ralph  W. 
Cooper,  Milton  J. 
Cole,  William  L. 
Chapman,  Taswell. 
Cunningham,  Vinton  A. 
Davidson,  Reed  M. 
Distel,  Louis  E. 
Donaldson,  Harry  W. 
Douglass,  Duncan  M. 
Davis,  David  C. 
Dodge,  Daniel  H. 
Evans,  Mitchell  H. 
George,  Robert  M. 
Gilbert,  Ora  B. 
Hicks,  Edward  B. 
Herms,  Albert  G. 
Hubert,  John  A. 
Hood,  Charles  E. 
Harris,  Evan  G. 
Johnson,  David  J. 
Johnson,  Samuel  E. 
Johnson,  William  E. 
Jones,  Wells  H. 
Kinney,  John  Wesley. 


Messer,  Alfred  M. 
Mathiott,  Harry  W. 
Monk,  John  E. 
Molester,  Charles  G. 
Mead,  Alexander  R. 
McKeown,  Emmet  K. 
McGuire,  Edward  M. 
McDaniels,   James. 
Morrison,  Henry  M. 
Patterson,  Elbert  L. 
Peebles,  William  M. 
Redmon,  Joseph  A. 
Reinert,  Adolph  G. 
Reinhardt,  Edward  J. 
Sturgill,  William  C. 
Stewart,  James  P. 
Stowe,  Walter  H. 
Skelton,  James. 
Shela,  John  W. 
Schmidt,  John  F. 
Sparka,  Kurt. 
Thompson,  Matthew  W. 
Taylor,   Charles  C. 
Thomas,  William  E. 
Turner,  Joseph. 
W^ells,  Edward  S. 
Whitman,  Charles  R. 
Welch,  Arthur. 
Wheeler,  i.dgar  R. 
Winters,  Henry  H. 
Youngman,  John. 
Zeek,  Edward. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1.  323 


COMPANY  I. 

Captain Louis    H.    Palmer 

First  Lieutenant Fred  S.  Whiley 

Second  Lieutenant  William  H.  Hause 

First  Sergeant William  S.  Kindler 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Roy  T.  McNaughten 

SERGEANTS. 

Thomas  W.  Nickum.  Frank  M.  Murpay. 

John  E.  Thomas.  Gaylord  C.  Peters. 

CORPORALS. 

Seymore  E.  Hansley.  Ernest  I.  Curtiss. 

John  W.  Littrell.  Charles  Fishbaugh. 

Arthur  J.  Phillips.  Henry  C.  Clark. 

Hugh  S.  Love.  Warren  A.  Lowry. 

Herman  L.  Wagner.  Nelson  E.  Terry. 

Frank  E.  Beery.  George  L.  Justice. 

Musicians Oscar  D.  Getz,  Irving  A.  Cook 

Wagoner William  E.  Neal 

Artificer Samuel  L.  Bush 

PRIVATES. 

Arnold,  Jesse  W.  Mertz,  Jacob  J. 

Amann,  Augustus  M.  McSweeney,  James  F. 

Buckley,  William  J.  McLain,  Clifford  C. 

Bope,  Charles  B.  Moore,  Charles  R. 

Brainard,  Will  J.  Mauk,  Arthur  R. 

Bentrol,  Charles  F.  Morton,  Robert  R. 

Bulger,  John.  Miller,  John  M. 

Black,  Harry  B.  McCray,  Andrew  L. 

Bobbitt,  David.  Nisley,  Harry  J. 

Botts,  James  E.  Nisley,  Joseph  W. 

Ballard,  James  M.  Nye,  Charles  E. 

Balthaser,   Chauncey   E.  Proctor,  Harry  E. 


324 


THE     FOURTH     O.     V.     1. 


Basore,  William  H. 
Clifton,  George. 
Cook,  Walter. 
Dyarman,  Charles  T. 
Dupler,  Murray  C. 
Derr,  Charles  E. 
Dew,  Stanley  J. 
Dille,  Willis. 
England,  Benjamin  T. 
Flood,   William  H. 
Foster,  John  H. 
Green,  Lester  O. 
Greentree,  James. 
Gebhardt,  William  H. 
Gantz,  John  G. 
Gyr,  Harry. 
Griner,  James  R. 
Goodyear,  Charles. 
Herman,  Henry. 
Kite,  Joseph  A. 
Jeffries,  George  T. 
Keller,  James  O. 
Keller,  William  U. 
Keller,  Harry  0. 
Kernes,  David. 
Knotts,  Charles. 
Lape,  Theodore  I. 
beeper,  Charles  L. 
Light,  James  G. 
Potter,  Jesse  N. 


rrentice,  George  H. 
Paskins,  James  H. 
Patterson,   Tecumseh  B. 
Robinson,  Amosa  W. 
Robinson,  Robert  B. 
Reynolds,  George  E. 
Roskovemckey,   Lewis  S. 
Reed,  Charles  G. 
Rossley,  Charles  E. 
Reese,  Edward  A. 
Spitler,  David  L. 
Spitler,  Pearl  D. 
Spitler,  Earl  S. 
beifert,  Abe. 
Shaw,  Robert. 
Straley,  James. 
Stewart,  Frank  L. 
•        Shue,  Frank  E. 
Sprague,  James  W. 
Terry,  George  T. 
Todhunter,  Reese  B. 
Todhunter,  George  B. 
Tipple,  David  E. 
White,  John  E. 
Williams,  Howard  A. 
Walters,  Perry. 
Wolfe,  Royal. 
Yingling,  Sherman. 
Zimmerman,  John  D. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     7.     /.  325 


COMPANY  K. 

Captain Bert  H.   Greiner 

First  Lieutenant William  B.  McCloud 

Second  Lieutenant Oscar  O.  Koeppel 

First  Sergeant W.  L.  Norton 

Q.  M.  Sergeant George  A.  Griebel 

SERGEANTS. 

Charles  Riddle.  H.  A.  Cosier. 

Frank  M.  Said.  Carl  T.  Cratty. 

CORPORALS. 

Ed.  O.  Thomson.  Elbert  Nelson. 

Earl  Sheldon.  A.  Kent  Harmount. 

Merton  S.  Starr.  Sturges  Dunham. 

Charles  Thrall.  Orrain  W.  Patrick. 

Ray  H.  Long  well.  Robert  H.  Ly  brand. 

Llysses  G.  Sanger.  Lester  C.  Riddle. 
Thomas  Glaze. 

Musicians J  Shultz,  John  Longwell 

Artificer Charles  L.  Inscho 

Wagoner L.   R.   Spain 

PRIVATES. 

Auman,  John.  Lynch,  J. 

Ahern,  Patrick.  Lawson,  C.  E. 

Bennett,  J.  F.  Marritt,  J.  M. 

Brownmiller,  C.  R.  Miller,  C.  C. 

Bninn,  C.  H.  Miller,  H.  A. 

Browning,  S.  W.  Montane,  C.  B. 

Billig,  C.  E.  Maloney,  J. 

Butt,  A.  M.  Maloney,  C.  H. 

Campbell,   H.   R.  Maine,  C.  A. 

Cruikshank,  A.  Mahonay,  M.  C. 

Corbin,  Richard.  McFarland,  F.   A. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I 


Doyle,  J.  P. 
Driscoll,  T.  J. 
Ball,  C.  K. 
Davis,  H.  W. 
Dove,  T.  C. 
Enright,  F.  H. 
Ford,  W.  R. 
France,  C.  O. 
Frantz,  Walter. 
Ferris,  W.  M. 
Foley,  W.  J. 
Gerber,  Max. 
Greiner,  J.  R. 
Grove,  T.  S. 
Harmount,  H.  W. 
Hills,  L.  C. 
Howald,  W.  A. 
Hodges,  S.  M. 
Hansley,  E.  D. 
Hollison,  W. 
Hunt,  H.  E. 
Ingle,  W.  W. 
Inscho,  A.  D. 
Jones,  C.  L. 
Jamison,  F.  B. 
Jacobus,  H.  C. 
Kelley,  J.  L. 
Lenhart,  L. 
Lyons,  J. 
O'Connor,  J. 


O'Bryan,  P. 
Osborne,  B. 
Powell,  H.  B. 
Platz,  G. 
Rose,  H.  E. 
Riddle,  R.  R. 
Reed,  W. 
Read,  R.  W. 
Rider,  W.  R. 
Randolph,  D.  F. 
Rodenfels,  Edward. 
Ross,  T. 
Siegfried,  John. 
Smith,  William  L. 
Strohm,  G. 
Said,  T.  H. 
Schneider,  B.  J. 
Shank,  J.  W. 
Thrall,  G.  W. 
Vertner,  A.  L. 
Watkins,  F.  S. 
Wells,  Rex.  W. 
Windham,  R.  H. 
vvohlheater,  W.  Z. 
Wells,  Charles. 
Wohlheater,  E.  F. 
Webster,  Olliver  Perry. 
Whitlinger,  Henry. 
Zeigler,  Frank. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     I.  327 


COMPANY  L. 

Captain Fred  M.   French 

First  Lieutenant Charles  E.  Bigler 

Second  Lieutenant Sherman  E.  Ward 

First  Sergeant Earl  F.  Thuma 

Q.  M.  Sergeant Edwin  J.  Scott 

SERGEANTS. 

George  D.  Lewis.  Burr  A.  Wyant. 

James  H.  Graff.  Robert  H.  Westlake. 

CORPORALS. 

Carrol  R.  Jackson.  William  M.  Edwards. 

John  J.  Jacobs.  Elbert  L.  Mendenhall. 

J.  Louis  Ewalt.  John  K.  Davis. 

Scott  U.  Kirby.  D.  Horton  White. 

Oscar  Adams.  Harry  L.  Thuma. 
Edwin  J.  Myers. 

Musicians Charles  W.  Wood,  Lewis  Herrod 

Artificer William   Gregory 

Wagoner Harry  M.  Jacobus 

PRIVATES. 

Armentrout,  L.  Vance.  Lambert,  Philip  J. 

Ashton,  Walter  G.  Loback,  Frank  B. 

Adams,  Oscar.  Lockwood,  Charles  D. 

Barber,  Fred.  Lane,  George  M. 

Braddock,  John  S.  Lee,  John  T. 

Bishop,  Anson.  Loose,  Jacob  L. 

Baughman,  Edward  L.  Long,  Wilson  G. 

Brentlinger,  Clyde  L.  McMahon,  Ralph. 

Banbury,  Charles  K.  McConnell,   William. 

Bigler,  Arthur  L.  McKeown,  Andrew  J. 

Bigler,  Eugene  F.  Mitchell,  Leon  H. 

Barnhart,  Cyrus.  Morey,  Roy  C. 


328 


THE     FOURTH     0.     V.     1. 


Bucher,  George  K. 
Critchfield,   Jesse   B. 
Clark,  William  H. 
Clark,  Michael  P. 
Chrisman,  Arthur. 
Copper,  Charles  0. 
Cochran,  Ward  B. 
Coile,  Olle  E. 
Channell,  Charles  H. 
Cochran,  John  M. 
Cochran,  Walter. 
Daniels,  William  L. 
Dunlap,  William  C. 
Dickson,  James  F.,  Jr. 
Davis,  Jacie  J. 
Davis,  Charles  E. 
Edwards,  William  I. 
Gingham,  Harry  L. 
Graff,  George. 
Hersh,  Sherbin  J. 
Harris,  Walter  M. 
Houle,  Louis  P. 
Harker,   William. 
Hutchinsin,  Charles. 
Hayes,  James  M. 
Heddington,  John  L. 
Hissong,  John  R. 
Kinney,  John  D. 
Long,  Daniel  V. 
Magill,  John  S. 


Osborn,  Timothy  G. 
Perrin,  Charles. 
Porter,  Orrin  C. 
Rowley,  Byron  D. 
Rowley,  William. 
Robinson,  Williard. 
Simco,  Edward. 
Smalle,  James  A. 
Stoyle,  Edward. 
Shetler,   Walter  S. 
Smith,  Oliver  H. 
Sapp,  Frank  W. 
Simpson,  Ottis  A. 
Sherman,  Rupert  L. 
Tighe,  William  P. 
Vernon,  Walter  C. 
White,  Edgar  J. 
Williams,  Harry. 
Wagner,  Fred  F. 
Waite,   Ralph. 
Waldruff,  Ellis  F. 
Wright,  Frank  D. 
Welshymer,  Charles  B. 
Weider,  William  F. 
Wolfe,  Fred  W. 
Wood,  Herbert  C. 
Whitney,  William  M. 
Wade,  Bruce  M. 
Wright,  Clinton. 


THE     FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 


329 


COMPANY  M. 

.ptain Burr  J.  Bostwlck 

First  Lieutenant Charles  G.  Duffy 

Second  Lieutenant George  Florence 

First  Sergeant Charles  K.  Cnunm 

Q.  M.  Sergeant S.  J.  Henry 


SERGEANTS. 


Charles  F.  Lowe. 
Charles  A.  Bostwick. 


Harry  L.  Hughes. 
J.  Mouser  Crayne. 
Leroy  M.  Thompson. 
William  B.   Reeder. 
Arlow  T.  Mowery. 
Fred  Donelly. 


B.  Frank  Warner. 
Bradley  Fletcher. 


CORPORALS. 


John  Kashner. 
Ed.  M.  Brown. 
Charles  M.  Titus. 
George  Redman. 
Vv  illiam  A.  Warner. 
Marshall  E.  Murray. 


Musicians Frank  Miller,  John  Doyle 

Artificer   George  Brady 

Wagoner  James  Baughman 


PRIVATES. 


Ambrose,  William. 
Anderson,  J.  Hartley. 
Baer,  Henry  C. 
Bagby,  Arthur  P. 
Bailey,  John. 
Baker,  John  L. 
Bales,  Blenn  R. 
Barker,  William  J. 
Baughman,  Joseph. 
Bennett,  Ed.  F. 
Bowsher,  William  B. 
Brannon,   Charles. 


Lape,  William. 
Lewis,  Leotus. 
Lower,  William. 
Mackey,  Will  L. 
McCready,  John  W. 
McHale,  Thomas. 
McKenzie,  David. 
McQuaide,  John. 
Miller,  Jacob  W. 
Montgomery,  Ed.  W. 
Mowery,  Clifford  E. 
Moyer,  Harley  E. 


330 


THE    FOURTH     0.     F.     /. 


Brown,  Nathan  J. 
Bessert,  Wayne. 
Byers,  Joseph. 
Caldwell,  Job.  D. 
Collopy,  James  J. 
Cook,  George  B. 
Chrissinger,  Prank. 
Crites,  Clifford  W. 
Dunkle,  Floyd  L. 
Edgington,  George  C. 
Egan,  Hugh,  Jr. 
Evans,  David  J. 
Fisher,  William. 
Flemming,   Robert. 
Forsythe,  Bert. 
Friley,  Charles. 
Haines,  George  L. 
Hernstine,  Philip  G. 
Hitson,   John   R. 
Highes,  Clarence  H. 
Hurst,  William  F. 
Irwin,  George  G. 
Jack,  Thomas  B. 
Jack,  William  F. 
Jackson,  Albert. 
Johnson,  Miner  N. 
Kerns,  James  W. 
Kinney,  Daniel. 
Kineey,  Samuel. 


Murphy,  Clark. 
Meeker,  John. 
Neff,  Morton  A. 
Newland,  George  F. 
Palm,  Joseph. 
Rayborn,  David. 
Reigle,  Pearl  E. 
Roof,  Charles  E. 
Russel,  Charles  E. 
Sells,  George  W. 
Shaffer,  Samuel. 
Shaffer,  Walter. 
Smith,  Charles  E. 
Smith,  George  W. 
Spangler,  Samuel. 
Spiers,  James  E. 
Steepleton,  James  R. 
Strawser,  Harry. 
Tatman,  Edward. 
Taylor,  Edward. 
Thorn,  Fred  H. 
Walker,  Ed.  I. 
Withrow,  Gordon  E. 
Wolfe,  Homer  E. 
Wright,   George  F. 
Wright,   Homer  A. 
Wright,  Porter  E. 
Wilson,  Jacob  F. 
Yowell,  Harry. 


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